WALES

Council Tax Subsidy

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what balancing adjustments have been made to reflect changes in the cost of council tax subsidy for Wales in each year since 1997.

Peter Hain: The following council tax benefit adjustments have been made to the Wales departmental expenditure limit.
	A reduction of £0.56 million in 2001–02 in respect of 2000–01, and an increase of £1.957 million in 2003–04 in respect of 2001–02 and 2002–03 net of rate relief adjustment.

Ministerial Duties

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many hours he spent on ministerial duties during the week commencing Monday 9 May 2005 in his capacity as (a) Secretary of State for Wales and (b) Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Peter Hain: I have spent as much time as is necessary to fulfil my responsibilities as Secretary of State for Wales and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, including spending the same proportion of time in Wales as has been the case previously.

Ministerial Visits (Public Funds)

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he used public funds to attend the Monaco Grand Prix.

Peter Hain: No.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

UK Presidency (EU)

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what communication activities are planned in relation to the policy areas covered by her Department during the UK Presidency of the EU; and what budget has been allocated for these activities.

Tessa Jowell: External communications activities for the UK presidency of the EU are being co-ordinated centrally by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
	Any communication activities planned by my Department are an integral part of preparations for events related to the conduct of the residency, such as events on broadcasting, intellectual property and sport planned for the period of the presidency. I have no proposals for communication activities separate from these events, and therefore no specific budget provision has been made.

TRANSPORT

Air Transport (Public Subsidies)

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total amount of public subsidy given to passenger air services was in the United Kingdom in the last financial year.

Karen Buck: The total amount of subsidy for passenger air services in the UK in the last financial year was £2,320,720. All of this was in support of lifeline air services in Scotland and was provided either by the Scottish Executive or the Islands Councils.

Air Transport (Public Subsidies)

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what restrictions his Department applies to the use of public subsidy to support air transport services in the United Kingdom.

Karen Buck: The Department only authorises subsidy of air transport services through the use of Public Service Obligations (PSOs). The imposition of PSOs is governed by European legislation laid out in Regulation 2408/92. This Regulation sets out a number of criteria which must be met in order for a PSO to be imposed.
	The Department would consider any PSO application it received against these criteria and the Secretary of State for Transport will then decide whether to impose a PSO on that route.

Air Travel (Consumer Protection)

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to impose a levy on outbound UK air passengers, in the form proposed by the Civil Aviation Authority, to fund a consumer protection regime.

Karen Buck: holding answer 8 June 2005
	The Department is considering the Civil Aviation Authority's economic analysis and assessment of the likely regulatory impact of a range of options for the future financial protection of air travellers.

Drink-driving

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Government have any plans to implement random breath-testing of drivers.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government have no plans to introduce random breath-testing of drivers.
	The police may test any driver involved in a road traffic collision and aim to test all drivers at injury collisions they attend. They may also test any driver they consider to have committed a moving traffic offence or where there is any suspicion of alcohol consumption.
	These are broad powers and we believe they are sufficient to enable the police to deal with drink-drive offenders.

Drink-driving

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to bring the drink-drive limit in the UK into line with those of other EU member states.

Stephen Ladyman: There are no plans at present to reduce the legal alcohol limit for drivers to bring this country into line with other EU member states. The Government's priority for reducing drink-related crashes and casualties is through effective enforcement of existing controls and national publicity campaigns.

North London Line

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of noise vibrations from trains on the North London Line on residential properties; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Measures to mitigate the effects of noise vibration from trains are a matter for the railway industry. In response to concerns raised by residents who live near the North London Line, Network Rail has undertaken to carry out a number of measures to reduce noise vibration on this line. This will include carrying out grinding and joint removal work to improve the track surface. Network Rail will also look at a number of potential contributory factors in the area, including the speed of trains and local environmental conditions and will continue to engage in discussions with freight operators and the local authority to keep them advised of any relevant findings.

North London Line

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains operate between midnight and 7 am on the North London Line.

Derek Twigg: An average of 86 trains operate between midnight and 7 am on weekdays on the North London Line.

Road Traffic Accidents

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his strategy is for reducing the number of deaths in road traffic accidents.

Stephen Ladyman: We continue to develop and implement our wide-ranging road safety strategy. The provisional 2004 casualty figures show we are now over halfway towards our 2010 target of a 40 per cent. reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured, and over three-quarters towards our 50 per cent. target for children.
	The first review of the road safety strategy identified that, while we are making good progress toward meeting our overall casualty reduction targets, the number of fatal casualties has levelled off. This is a complex issue, affecting other European countries, and it is receiving in-depth analysis and special focus as we develop the strategy further.

Speed Cameras

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many speed cameras have operated since 6 December 2004, broken down by (a) region and (b) class of road.

Stephen Ladyman: Information on the number of speed camera sites, broken down by partnership and class of road, within the safety camera programme as at 31 December 2004 is shown in the table. This information is provided to the Department by the safety camera partnerships.
	
		Safety cameras in England and Wales by region and class of road for 2005
		
			 PA Name Camera type Road type Number 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset Fixed Rural 30 
			 Avon and Somerset Fixed Urban 67 
			 Avon and Somerset Mobile Rural 39 
			 Avon and Somerset Mobile Urban 196 
			 Bedfordshire Fixed Rural 22 
			 Bedfordshire Fixed Urban 29 
			 Bedfordshire Mobile Rural 13 
			 Bedfordshire Mobile Urban 46 
			 Cambridgeshire Fixed Rural 24 
			 Cambridgeshire Fixed Urban 41 
			 Cambridgeshire Mobile Rural 20 
			 Cambridgeshire Mobile Urban 6 
			 Cheshire Fixed Rural 12 
			 Cheshire Fixed Urban 19 
			 Cheshire Mobile Rural 2 
			 Cheshire Mobile Urban 32 
			 Cleveland Fixed Rural 1 
			 Cleveland Fixed Urban 1 
			 Cleveland Mobile Rural 7 
			 Cleveland Mobile Urban 51 
			 Cumbria Mobile Rural 28 
			 Cumbria Mobile Urban 14 
			 Derbyshire Fixed Rural 2 
			 Derbyshire Fixed Urban 45 
			 Derbyshire Mobile Rural 20 
			 Derbyshire Mobile Urban 56 
			 Devon and Cornwall Fixed Rural 3 
			 Devon and Cornwall Fixed Urban 80 
			 Devon and Cornwall Mobile Rural 16 
			 Devon and Cornwall Mobile Urban 65 
			 Dorset Fixed Rural 3 
			 Dorset Fixed Urban 42 
			 Dorset Mobile Rural 24 
			 Dorset Mobile Urban 38 
			 Essex Fixed Rural 1 
			 Essex Fixed Urban 92 
			 Essex Mobile Urban 123 
			 Greater Manchester Fixed Rural 3 
			 Greater Manchester Fixed Urban 65 
			 Greater Manchester Mobile Rural 2 
			 Greater Manchester Mobile Urban 75 
			 Hampshire Fixed Rural 4 
			 Hampshire Fixed Urban 23 
			 Hampshire Mobile Rural 4 
			 Hampshire Mobile Urban 37 
			 Hertfordshire Fixed Rural 5 
			 Hertfordshire Fixed Urban 47 
			 Hertfordshire Mobile Urban 24 
			 Humberside Mobile Rural 9 
			 Humberside Mobile Urban 70 
			 Kent and Medway Fixed Rural 6 
			 Kent and Medway Fixed Urban 66 
			 Kent and Medway Mobile Rural 18 
			 Kent and Medway Mobile Urban 32 
			 Lancashire Fixed Rural 19 
			 Lancashire Fixed Urban 272 
			 Lancashire Mobile Rural 15 
			 Lancashire Mobile Urban 46 
			 Leicestershire Fixed Rural 2 
			 Leicestershire Fixed Urban 15 
			 Leicestershire Mobile Rural 26 
			 Leicestershire Mobile Urban 48 
			 Lincolnshire Fixed Rural 22 
			 Lincolnshire Fixed Urban 24 
			 Lincolnshire Mobile Rural 16 
			 Lincolnshire Mobile Urban 2 
			 London Fixed Rural 58 
			 London Fixed Urban 265 
			 Norfolk Fixed Rural 2 
			 Norfolk Fixed Urban 12 
			 Norfolk Mobile Rural 50 
			 Norfolk Mobile Urban 11 
			 North Wales Fixed Urban 12 
			 North Wales Mobile Rural 11 
			 North Wales Mobile Urban 50 
			 Northamptonshire Fixed Rural 12 
			 Northamptonshire Fixed Urban 31 
			 Northamptonshire Mobile Rural 16 
			 Northamptonshire Mobile Urban 19 
			 Northumbria Fixed Rural 15 
			 Northumbria Fixed Urban 30 
			 Northumbria Mobile Rural 14 
			 Northumbria Mobile Urban 66 
			 Nottinghamshire Fixed Rural 2 
			 Nottinghamshire Fixed Urban 11 
			 Nottinghamshire Mobile Rural 13 
			 Nottinghamshire Mobile Urban 34 
			 South Wales (new 2002) Fixed Rural 4 
			 South Wales (new 2002) Fixed Urban 139 
			 South Wales (new 2002) Mobile Rural 60 
			 South Wales (new 2002) Mobile Urban 226 
			 South Yorkshire Fixed Rural 6 
			 South Yorkshire Fixed Urban 52 
			 South Yorkshire Mobile Rural 1 
			 South Yorkshire Mobile Urban 62 
			 Staffordshire Fixed Rural 42 
			 Staffordshire Fixed Urban 181 
			 Staffordshire Mobile Rural 11 
			 Staffordshire Mobile Urban 22 
			 Suffolk Fixed Rural 3 
			 Suffolk Fixed Urban 5 
			 Suffolk Mobile Rural 26 
			 Suffolk Mobile Urban 74 
			 Sussex Fixed Rural 3 
			 Sussex Fixed Urban 46 
			 Sussex Mobile Urban 36 
			 Thames Valley Fixed Rural 1 
			 Thames Valley Fixed Urban 30 
			 Thames Valley Mobile Rural 3 
			 Thames Valley Mobile Urban 6 
			 Warwickshire Fixed Rural 11 
			 Warwickshire Fixed Urban 11 
			 Warwickshire Mobile Rural 22 
			 Warwickshire Mobile Urban 14 
			 West Mercia Fixed Urban 14 
			 West Mercia Mobile Rural 15 
			 West Mercia Mobile Urban 36 
			 West Midlands Fixed Rural 13 
			 West Midlands Fixed Urban 115 
			 West Yorkshire Fixed Rural 30 
			 West Yorkshire Fixed Urban 218 
			 West Yorkshire Mobile Rural 14 
			 West Yorkshire Mobile Urban 133 
			 Wiltshire Fixed Rural 6 
			 Wiltshire Fixed Urban 5 
			 Wiltshire Mobile Rural 31 
			 Wiltshire Mobile Urban 37

Speed Cameras

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many speed cameras there were in (a) Brent East and (b) each London borough in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The information broken down as requested is not held centrally by the Department. The London Safety Camera Partnership publishes details of the number of safety camera sites, by London borough, available through its website www.lscp.org.uk

Street Lights

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what percentage of street lights were broken on the last date for which figures are available; and what the average time taken to repair a street light was in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Karen Buck: Street lighting is the responsibility of individual highway authorities, and the information requested is not held centrally. However, from 2005–06, local authorities will be required to report best value performance indicator (BVPI) 215, which will measure the average time taken to rectify street light faults.
	The Department for Transport works with the UK Lighting Board to encourage local authorities to adopt best practice in street lighting management, especially through promotion of Well-lit Highways: Code of Practice for Highway Maintenance Management (TSO, 2004).

Traffic Management Act

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects Part VI of the Traffic Management Act 2004 to be brought into force.

Karen Buck: Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004, which covers the civil enforcement by local authorities of a range of parking and traffic contraventions, will be brought into effect in stages as the necessary regulations and statutory guidance are completed. We are working on the parking provisions first and hope that they will be put in place during 2006.

Vehicle Excise Duty

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions in the last 12 months for which figures are available the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency initiated court proceedings against people who were believed not to have paid vehicle excise duty, broken down by regional authority.

Stephen Ladyman: During the period April 2004 to the end of March 2005 192,818 cases were prosecuted in court for Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) evasion. A VED offence is prosecuted in the area in which it is detected. A breakdown of cases by regional authority could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress his Department's alternative livelihoods programme in Afghanistan has made in the last six months; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: Over the past six months the Government of Afghanistan has strengthened its resolve to tackle the problem of opium cultivation and placed greater emphasis on the role of alternative livelihoods in a successful counter-narcotics effort. There is evidence which suggests that figures for poppy planting in 2005 may be lower than they were in 2004. This is good news, but the challenge will be to maintain that trend.
	In view of this, DFID has increased the amount of its funding allocated to the development of alternative livelihoods. This year, DFID is spending around half its total development assistance budget to Afghanistan on alternative livelihoods (approximately £50 million). In total, the international community is providing over US$300 million in alternative livelihoods assistance across all 34 provinces.
	We know from experience that development of sustainable alternative livelihoods takes time. Sustained reductions in levels of opium cultivation will ultimately be the measure of the success of our efforts, but on their own the availability of alternative livelihoods will not stop people growing opium. People stop growing opium poppy for a number of reasons, including the impact that interdiction and other law enforcement activities have, as well as the availability of other ways of earning a living. Collectively, the UK Government is helping the Afghans to work out how to co-ordinate these efforts better in the future.
	Examples of what DFID, working closely with the Government, will provide, in terms of alternative livelihoods opportunities over the next year or so, include: 5.8 million days of work, benefiting 190,000 people and providing a range of essential local infrastructure; agricultural inputs e.g. seeds and fertiliser to at least 36,000 farmers; micro-credit to 125,000 new clients and block grants totalling $40 million to 1,090 democratically elected Community Development Councils for small-scale productive and social infrastructure in villages in the top seven poppy growing provinces.

Private Finance Projects

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the private finance initiative and public private partnership projects his Department is undertaking; and what the status of each is.

Hilary Benn: The Department for International Development is not currently undertaking any private finance initiative or public private partnership projects.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department plans to take to improve animal welfare.

Ben Bradshaw: Animal welfare is primarily the responsibility of animal owners and keepers. The UK Government play an active role to improve animal welfare internationally and at EU level where most rules governing farmed animals are agreed. The Animal Welfare Bill which we hope to bring before the House shortly will be the most important piece of animal welfare legislation for nearly 100 years.

Dairy Supply Chain

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to improve transparency in the dairy supply chain.

Jim Knight: In September 2004, the Milk Development Council published its first annual report on margins across the dairy supply chain. DEFRA has also made a grant of nearly £0.5 million to the Food Chain Centre to conduct a value chain analysis which should help improve understanding and trust along the dairy supply chain.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cattle were slaughtered in the last recorded month as a result of bovine tuberculosis.

Ben Bradshaw: Latest provisional TB statistics indicate that 2,613 cattle were slaughtered as bovine tuberculosis reactors or direct contacts in April 2005.

Gangmasters Licensing Authority

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on progress on the establishment of the gangmasters licensing authority.

Jim Knight: The Gangmaster Licensing Bill received Royal Assent on 8 July 2004. Regulations establishing the Gangmasters Licensing Authority were approved by Parliament in March and the authority started work on 1 April.

Water Leakages

Eric Forth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the level of water leakage from pipes.

Elliot Morley: Ofwat publish leakage figures annually. Overall water company leakage for 2003–04 showed a small increase (1 per cent.) from the previous year. However, most companies achieved the leakage targets set by Ofwat and are operating at their economical level of leakage. Figures for 2004–05 are expected to be available from Ofwat in July.

Water Leakages

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the water leakage rate for each water company was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Elliot Morley: The Director General of Water Services publishes leakage figures annually in the 'Security of Supply, Leakage and the Effective Use of Water'. The figures for 2004–05 have not yet been published. Ofwat will publish these figures in July and the formal report will be published towards the end of 2005.
	However, in 2003–04 total water company leakage, in Megalitres per day, was reported as follows:
	
		
			  Megalitres 
		
		
			 Anglian 216 
			 Bournemouth and W Hants 22 
			 Bristol 53 
			 Cambridge 14 
			 Dee Valley 10 
			 Dwr Cymru 231 
			 Folkestone and Dover 8 
			 Mid Kent 30 
			 Northumbrian North 160 
			 Northumbrian South 70 
			 Portsmouth 30 
			 Severn Trent 512 
			 South East 69 
			 South Staffordshire 71 
			 South West 84 
			 Southern 92 
			 Sutton and East Surrey 24 
			 Tendring Hundred 5 
			 Thames 946 
			 Three Valleys 152 
			 United Utilities 479 
			 Wessex 75 
			 Yorkshire 295

Rural Crime

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Home Office to develop strategies to reduce crime in rural communities.

Jim Knight: I, my ministerial colleagues and DEFRA officials frequently meet with colleagues in the Home Office to discuss issues which are of importance to rural communities, including crime.

Renewable Energy (Crops)

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to promote alternative crops for renewable energy.

Elliot Morley: The Government is committed to supporting energy crops. Ministers and officials work closely with other Government Departments on the development of policy. Officials are working closely with farmers, project developers and others to promote the potential of energy crops.
	Aid is available to establish crops for the production of heat, electricity and transport biofuels, and to develop supply chains for crops for heat and electricity generation. R and D programmes and commissioned reports support the development of current and new energy crops. Funding has been provided for farmers' open days and industry conferences. £66 million has been allocated to develop markets for biomass, including energy crops, in heat and electricity generation. The co-firing of energy crops with fossil fuels in conventional power stations is promoted under the Renewables Obligation. The biomass study task force, led by Sir Ben Gill, is working with all stakeholders to identify the barriers to developing biomass heat and electricity and will recommend ways to overcome the problems. The production of transport biofuels is promoted through duty rate cuts and the Government is carrying out a feasibility study on the possible introduction of a renewable transport fuel obligation. A number of companies have indicated that such an obligation would encourage them to build processing plants in this country and to include UK-grown crops as a feedstock.

Tenant Farmers

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average net annual income for a tenant farmer has been in each year since 1980.

Jim Knight: The average annual net farm incomes for a tenanted farmer since 1980 are shown in the following table. For comparative purposes mixed tenure, owner occupied and all tenure farms are also shown. Net farm income is defined as the return to the principal farmer and spouse for their manual and managerial labour and on the tenant type capital of the business.
	
		Net farm incomes in England by tenure types
		
			 £/farm 
			  Fully tenanted Mixed tenure Owner occupied All tenure types 
		
		
			 1980–81 9,200 9,300 10,800 9,700 
			 1981–82 10,600 15,100 18,100 14,100 
			 1982–83 13,700 18,300 20,000 17,000 
			 1983–84 10,200 14,200 18,400 13,800 
			 1984–85 11,900 9,800 19,100 13,700 
			 1985–86 8,300 10,000 12,100 9,800 
			 1986–87 9,200 12,900 18,000 12,600 
			 1987–88 12,200 12,600 12,700 12,400 
			 1988–89 12,200 15,100 16,500 14,000 
			 1989–90 15,500 17,700 23,800 18,500 
			 1990–91 13,500 14,200 21,100 16,000 
			 1991–92 14,400 18,200 24,700 18,200 
			 1992–93 20,600 27,800 33,400 25,900 
			 1993–94 18,700 24,600 33,700 24,400 
			 1994–95 22,100 29,400 39,400 28,800 
			 1995–96 30,100 38,600 52,000 38,200 
			 1996–97 26,900 29,300 41,700 31,700 
			 1997–98 12,700 16,100 18,700 15,200 
			 1998–99 8,200 11,600 17,000 11,500 
			 1999–2000 6,800 9,700 11,400 8,700 
			 2000–01 7,900 10,200 15,200 10,600 
			 2001–02(1) 12,000 13,800 18,600 14,900 
			 2002–03 13,700 16,400 20,300 16,600 
			 2003–04 22,200 26,800 41,100 30,200 
		
	
	(1) Excluding farms subject to compulsory foot and mouth disease cull.
	Source:
	Farm Business Survey

Water Meter Charges

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people in Coventry South were in receipt of the social tariff for water meter charges in each of the last three years.

Elliot Morley: Figures for water charges are not collected on a constituency basis.
	The following table sets out the numbers of households who are customers of Severn Trent Water in receipt of the social tariff, also known as the vulnerable groups tariff, over the last three years for which figures are available, as collected by the Office of Water Services (Ofwat).
	
		
			  Number of households 
		
		
			 2003–04 682 
			 2002–03 449 
			 2001–02 373

PRIME MINISTER

Darfur

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  when he last discussed with NATO colleagues the situation in Darfur; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when he last discussed with G8 colleagues the situation in Darfur; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  when he last discussed with his EU counterparts the situation in Darfur; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I regularly have discussions with our NATO, G8 and EU colleagues on a wide range of international issues, including the situation in Darfur. We continue to be in constant contact with the Government of Sudan, both at ministerial and official level. Our presidency of the EU and G8 will give an opportunity to continue these discussions at all levels.

Lord Chancellor

Oliver Heald: To ask the Prime Minister whether it is his intention that the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs should retain this title in addition to the title of Lord Chancellor.

Tony Blair: Yes.

HEALTH

Air Pollution

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of (a) fatalities and (b) respiratory hospital admissions caused by transport-related air pollution, excluding ozone in the last period for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: This information is not collected directly as it is not possible to identify individual patients affected by air pollution. The link between air pollution and hospital admissions is derived from statistical correlations between daily air pollution levels and routine daily statistics on total deaths or respiratory hospital admissions.
	The Department's committee on the medical effects of air pollutants (COMEAP) estimated in 1998 1 that there were 10,500 respiratory hospital admissions (additional or brought forward) and 8,100 deaths brought forward per year due to PM 1 0 (particles less than 10 micrometres in diameter) in urban areas of Great Britain.
	Assuming that around a quarter of the PM 1 0 2 in urban areas is due directly or indirectly to emissions from transport, as a rough estimate it can be assumed that up to around 2,500 respiratory hospital admissions and around 2,000 deaths brought forward in urban areas of Great Britain may have been related to emissions from transport at that time.
	This estimate does not include the impact of transport emissions on life expectancy and on cardiovascular admissions. These were not quantified by COMEAP at the time of the 1998 report. Further work on this issue is likely to be considered as part of the work of the new COMEAP sub-group on quantification.
	1 Based on pollution levels in 1996. Pollution levels have reduced substantially since then.
	2 This includes PM 1 0 derived directly from road, rail, aircraft and ships and PM 1 0 derived indirectly from NOx transport emissions from the UK and Europe. It excludes sources such as coarse dust, sea salt, and emissions from industry.

Ambulance Service

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many ambulance stations there were in London in each of the last five years.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not held centrally.

Clinical Negligence

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her most recent estimate is of the average time taken to settle a claim for clinical negligence against the NHS; and what the figure was in 1997.

Jane Kennedy: The latest available data from the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) is shown in the table. There is no directly comparable data available for 1997. However, the National Audit Office estimated that of claims closed in 1999–2000, the average time taken from claim to payment of damages was five and a half years, and the average total time from incident to payment of damages was just over seven years. These figures were for existing liability scheme (ELS) cases. The ELS covers clinical negligence claims made against the national health service in England where the incident in question took place before April 1995. While initially, NHS bodies were responsible for handling and funding lower-value ELS claims themselves, since April 2000 all ELS claims have been handled centrally by the NHSLA.
	
		2004–05
		
			  Years 
		
		
			 Existing liability scheme cases (ELS)(2) 3.82 
			 Clinical negligence scheme trust cases (CNST)(3) 1.36 
		
	
	(2) The ELS cases are those cases open at 1 April 1996 and taken over by the NHSLA. These tended to have been handled locally by NHS trusts before the NHSLA were notified of them.
	(3) The CNST scheme covers clinical negligence cases where the treatment was delivered after 1 April 1995. They have usually been dealt with directly by the NHSLA from the start of the case.
	Source:
	NHS Litigation Authority

Complaints Procedures

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many inappropriate referrals to patient advisory and liaison services there were in the last period for which figures are available; how she plans to ensure that consumers of health services who are not satisfied with the treatment they receive know to whom they should complain; and what help is available in making such complaints.

Rosie Winterton: Data about inappropriate referrals to patient advice and liaison services (PALS) is not collected centrally.
	Consumers of health services who are not satisfied with the treatment they receive will have access to a range of help and information sources, which can point out to whom they should complain. In particular, national health service and primary care organisations are required to publicise their complaints procedure, including the name of the complaints manager. There should also be local publicity about the role and location of PALS, which can often offer on the spot help and potential resolution of issues without engagement in the formal complaints procedure.

Continuing Care

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she will make a statement on the progress being made in developing a national framework for the assessment of NHS continuing care; whether the framework will constitute a single, universal set of national eligibility criteria for access to NHS continuing care; what representations she has received on whether the current eligibility criteria are weighted towards physical needs, as opposed to mental health or psychological need; whether the national framework will include a national standard assessment methodology; and whether she expects that the national framework will integrate the system for assessing NHS continuing care with the system for assessing NHS-funded nursing care;
	(2)  what steps she is taking to ensure that patients with continuing needs are offered assessments for NHS continuing care; and what steps she is taking to ensure that assessments for NHS continuing care are carried out before assessments for NHS funded nursing care;
	(3)  what steps she is taking to ensure that the potential savings available to residents of care homes deemed eligible for either NHS continuing care or NHS-funded nursing care are reflected in reduced care home fees.

Liam Byrne: All strategic health authorities (SHAs) have undergone a review of their current eligibility criteria to ensure their legal compliance. New cases are now considered routinely as part of hospital discharge. This ensures that patients are assessed first for continuing care, if they do not meet the criteria they are then considered for national health service-funded nursing care only. Assessments are based on the totality of an individual's physical and mental care needs arising from one or more disability, accident or illness.
	Where someone is assessed as needing NHS continuing care, the NHS directly provides all the services that the individual has been assessed as requiring. If the individual needs to be in a care home, then the care home fees are paid directly by the NHS.
	An amendment to the care home regulations obliges homes to provide a breakdown of their fees. When an individual in a care home receives registered nursing care, therefore, it should be clear to the resident which aspect of their fees relate to registered nursing care, and which to residential care.
	The Department is currently working closely with stakeholders to produce a national framework for assessment for continuing care due for publication in early 2006. This should result in national eligibility criteria and suitable assessment methodologies for access to NHS continuing care. The Department has a number of representations about the development of a national framework, all of which will be taken into account in its development. In accordance with Cabinet Office guidelines, we will consult on the official guidance and any legislation required later this year.

Decompensated Cirrhosis

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the trend in numbers of cases of decompensated cirrhosis.

Caroline Flint: Figures for cases of decompensated cirrhosis are not held centrally.

Dental Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will begin consultation on a new system of dental patient charges; and on what date she first received the report on options for a new system.

Rosie Winterton: A dental charges working group, led by Harry Cayton, the Department's Director for Patients and the Public, submitted proposals for a new system of dental patient charges to the Department in March 2004. These proposals are being considered alongside information about the effects of the new pilot dental contracts on treatment patterns. A written ministerial statement in January indicated that we would be consulting on the regulations for a new system of dental charges in the summer.

Dental Services

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the value is of each recruitment contract awarded to Methods Consulting for recruiting overseas dentists in (a) Greece, (b) Portugal, (c) Germany, (d) Spain and (e) India; and how many dentists Methods Consulting are contracted to recruit from each country.

Rosie Winterton: No contracts have been awarded by the Department to Methods Consulting for recruiting dentists from Greece, Portugal, Germany, Spain or India.

Domiciliary Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on the recording of adverse events in domiciliary care services.

Liam Byrne: Departmental officials are working with Action on Elder Abuse, the United Kingdom Home Care Association and the Commission for Social Care Inspection to consider this recommendation from the Health Select Committee Inquiry into elder abuse. The outcome of this work will be fed into the review of the national minimum standards announced by the Government in October 2004.

Evesham Community Hospital

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the likely impact of proposals to close two wards at Evesham community hospital on (a) capacity in the Worcestershire health service and (b) compliance with her Department's policy on giving priority to local wishes in developing local services.

Rosie Winterton: Decisions about the configuration of local national health service services are taken at a local level.
	South Worcestershire primary care trust (PCT) is considering a number of options for the configuration of services across South Worcestershire in the future. The PCT will be entering into wide and detailed discussions during the coming weeks with key individuals, groups and organisations including the overview and scrutiny committee.
	West Midlands South strategic health authority is working closely with South Worcestershire PCT to ensure that the views of the public are sought and taken into account in developing the proposals and that any changes are in line with "Keeping the NHS Local".

Food Labelling

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with retailers about country of origin labelling requirements for food.

Caroline Flint: I have had no specific discussions with retailers on country of origin labelling. However, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has regular discussions with the retail sector on a range of issues and these have included country of origin labelling.
	The FSA is currently reviewing its best practice guidance on country of origin labelling; it is also likely that the European Commission review of labelling legislation, which is currently under way, will address it. The retail sector is being consulted and is involved in both of these processes.

Genetically Modified Food

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures she is taking to assess whether the genetically modified corn MON 863 is safe for human consumption; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 26 May 2005
	Genetically-modified crops undergo a rigorous safety evaluation before they are authorised in the European Union for food use for human consumption. The European Food Safety Authority in its safety assessment of MON 863 stated that there were no concerns over the safety of the maize. This was endorsed by the United Kingdom Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes. A decision has not yet been taken on the authorisation of MON 863 maize for food use in the EU.

Genetically Modified Food

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she received on the effects of GM maize MON 863 on human health prior to (a) 29 November 2004 and (b) 19 May 2005.

Caroline Flint: A vote on the authorisation of MON 863 genetically-modified (GM) maize grain, including animal feed but excluding food and cultivation, under the deliberate release directive 2001/18/EC took place on 29 November 2004. The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs received one representation prior to this date. Friends of the Earth Europe wrote to all competent authorities for directive 2001/18/EC on 17 November 2004, urging member states to consider human and animal safety in deciding how to vote on MON 863.
	A vote on the authorisation of foods derived from MON 863 GM maize under the novel foods regulation was taken at a regulatory meeting in Brussels on 19 May 2005. The Food Standards Agency did not receive any representations on the effects of MON 863 on human health prior to this date.

Health Improvement and Protection Bill

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate the Government have made of the costs to local authorities in England of the introduction and implementation of the proposed Health Improvement and Protection Bill.

Caroline Flint: A full regulatory impact assessment will be published when the Bill is introduced into Parliament.

Hepatitis C

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the trends in rates of infection of hepatitis C among injectors in the last three years for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 6 June 2005
	Information on the prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis C, found in both past and current infection, among current and former injecting drug users in contact with drug agencies and services, may be obtained from the Health Protection Agency's unlinked anonymous prevalence monitoring programme. In addition, the prevalence of antibodies among those who began injecting in the last three years, that is, recent injectors, is also available from this survey. Figures for the last three years are available from the Health Protection Agency report "Shooting Up", October 2004. This is available at: www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/injectingdrugusers/ShootingUp-2004.pdf.
	Among its many conclusions, the report states that the proportion of injecting drug users reporting having a voluntary confidential test for hepatitis C has increased, indicating that efforts to improve access to testing may be working.

Hepatitis C

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what benchmarks the effectiveness of her Department's hepatitis C awareness campaign will be assessed; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 6 June 2005
	Before the hepatitis C awareness campaign commenced in June 2004, the Department conducted a market research exercise to determine the level of awareness of hepatitis C, amongst health professionals and the general public. This provided the Department with a benchmark from which the effectiveness of the subsequent awareness campaign, for both health professionals and the general public, could later be measured. It is planned to repeat this once the awareness campaign is better established.
	In addition, the Department will assess progress on the national outcome indicators as set out in the Department's Hepatitis C Strategy for England, August 2002 and the subsequent "Hepatitis C Action Plan for England, 2004". For example, the increase in the total number of laboratory-confirmed hepatitis C infection reports.

Hepatitis C

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to introduce proactive screening of at risk groups for hepatitis C.

Caroline Flint: The Department has already published information and guidance for health professionals and for the public, highlighting those considered to be at risk of hepatitis C infection and who should consider being tested, or should be offered testing, for hepatitis C infection. This forms part of the hepatitis C awareness campaign and there is currently a continuing programme to raise awareness of hepatitis C among the public and those groups at risk.
	In addition, a new national health service hepatitis C awareness website has been launched at: www.hepc.nhs.uk.

Hepatitis C

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account has been taken in resource planning of the trends in incidence of hepatitis C, with particular reference to demand for liver transplants.

Caroline Flint: The Department has commissioned a report from researchers at Southampton Medical School on the likely future demand for liver transplant, which highlighted future pressures not only from hepatitis C but also the rise in obesity, which leads to fatty liver failure.
	At present, the transplant programme is entirely constrained by the availability of donor organs. Measures to increase the supply of organs include public awareness for donor programmes, currently about 45 per cent. of next of kin decline permission for organ removal, as well as new surgical techniques (splitting allows one liver to be used for two recipients).
	In addition, the Department has commissioned from the Health Protection Agency, a project to mathematically model future hepatitis C related liver disease.

Hepatitis C

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she has taken to ensure that patients from different areas of the country have equal access to treatments for hepatitis C; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 6 June 2005
	In line with "Shifting the Balance of Power", most national health service funding is now passed on to local NHS organisations so that they can make decisions about local needs and services. There has been substantial increased investment in the NHS, which includes funding for National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)-recommended treatments.
	Decisions on funding of treatment for chronic hepatitis C at the local level are therefore a matter for primary care trusts and their local partners. Strategic health authorities (SHAs) have been asked to ensure that local arrangements are in place to provide appropriate services.
	In June 2004, the then Secretary of State, John Reid announced plans to achieve better and equal access to NICE-recommended therapies. As part of these proposals, it is intended that information about NICE-recommended drugs prescribed and dispensed in hospitals will be available to the NHS. This will enable SHAs to compare their own uptake of drugs recommended by NICE with the national distribution. Where uptake locally appears to be below average, SHAs will be expected to investigate and take action to overcome the barriers to implementation. This information will also be available to the Healthcare Commission, which has indicated that assessing the implementation of NICE guidance will be one of their key priorities.

Hepatitis C

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on the hepatitis C awareness campaign in the most recent year for which figures are available; how much she has allocated to the campaign for future years; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 6 June 2005
	The expenditure on the hepatitis C awareness campaign in the financial year 2004–05 was about £0.7 million. The projected expenditure for the campaign in the financial year 2005–06 is estimated to be around £1.5 million.

Hospital Expenditure

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written Answer of 25 May 2005, Official Report, column 119W, on Health Service Expenditure, what the total hospital expenditure alone was in each year since 1996–97 in (a) nominal terms and (b) real terms.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 24 March 2005, Official Report, column 1065W.
	It is not possible to provide figures for hospital expenditure alone as this information cannot be separately identified from the accounts of national health service bodies.

Mental Health

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the incidence of mental health problems, including clinical depression, was among those who have lost their sight in (a) England and (b) the Coventry area in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: Information is not available for each of the last five years. However, the latest information on registered blind people is available from the triennial data collection, "Registered Blind and Partially Sighted People" for the year ending 31 March 2003. This is available on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/08/02/33/04080233.pdf.
	At 31 March 2003, 157,000 people were on the register of blind people in England, of which 34,000 were also categorised as having an additional disability. 3 per cent. of all registered blind people who had an additional disability were also recorded as having a mental illness. Similar information for Coventry shows that about 1 per cent. of people categorised as having an additional disability were recorded as having a mental illness.
	Registration of blindness is voluntary so the register does not necessarily include all people who are blind. However, it is a pre-condition for the receipt of certain benefits.

Monsanto's Maize

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the implications for human health of the findings of the EU study into the safety of Monsanto's MON863 maize, with particular reference to the effects on rats fed this maize.

Caroline Flint: The safety of the food use of genetically modified MON863 maize has been reviewed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which concluded in April 2004 that it is unlikely to have an adverse effect on human health. The EFSA evaluation included an assessment of a study in rats fed MON863 maize grain. EFSA subsequently examined a critical review of this feeding study and concluded that it did not raise any issues that caused EFSA to revise its opinion. EFSA's conclusion on the food use of MON863 maize has been endorsed by the United Kingdom Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes.

Nurses

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many and what percentage of nurses in each primary care trust area reported personal back and joint injuries for the first time in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many and what percentage of nurses in each primary care trust area retired as a result of back or joint problems in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: The Department does not collect this information centrally, but recognises that pain accounts for 40 per cent. of sickness absence in the national health service. That is why the back in work campaign was launched nationally in 2002 to reduce back injuries among NHS staff.

Paddington Health Campus

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the running costs of the Paddington health campus project have been on (a) a monthly basis and (b) a cumulative basis since its inception;
	(2)  what the cumulative costs of external consultants providing advice on the Paddington health campus project are.

Liam Byrne: The running costs, on a monthly basis, of the Paddington health campus project are not held centrally. The estimated cumulative expenditure on development of the project is about £13.8 million of which about £7.8 million relates to external consultants. This development expenditure is under a quarter of one per cent. of the cost of a project of this scale.

Paddington Health Campus

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the timetable and process to reach a conclusion on the viability of the Paddington health campus project, in the light of the resolution by the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS trust not to recommend the addendum to the outline business case for approval by the strategic health authority.

Liam Byrne: North West London strategic health authority will consider the outline business case at its extraordinary meeting on 21 June and a decision on the future of the project will be made thereafter.

Phthalates

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if her Department will commission research into the effect of phthalates (a) as an environmental pollutant and (b) on reproductive health.

Caroline Flint: Phthalates are a family of chemical substances, with a range of properties. Extensive research into the effects of certain phthalates on both the environment and human health has been carried out at a European level, under the auspices for the European Union's Existing Substances Regulation (793/93/EC). Details of the programme can be found on the European Chemicals Bureau website at: http://ecb.jrc.it/existing-chemicals/. The United Kingdom has commented upon the detailed risk assessments and ensuing risk reduction strategy for the various phthalates which have been studied.
	These risk assessments and risk reduction strategies concluded that these phthalates do not pose a risk to the environment or, where a risk was anticipated, adequate control measures were already in place on an EU-wide basis to control the potential risk. As a result, the UK has no current plans to commission research into phthalates as an environmental pollutant but will consider each on a case by case basis where new data come to light.
	These detailed EU risk assessments have indicated that some phthalate compounds have been shown in animal studies to produce toxic effects on the reproductive system and this has led to European-wide restrictions on their use in consumer products, in order to prevent exposure of young children, as a precaution. However, other phthalates have not shown such effects, despite being adequately investigated for reproductive toxicity.
	The UK takes the view that phthalates must be considered on a case-by-case basis. Where the database is insufficient to complete a risk assessment, it is normally expected that the industry will carry out the required additional research. However, the Government have asked their expert committee, the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment, to keep the area of environmental chemicals and reproductive health under review and will consider their advice on the need for additional research in this area.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what action she plans to take to tackle non-compliance with National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines on the treatment of severe rheumatoid arthritis;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the number of patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis who would benefit from anti-TNFa therapy but who do not receive it; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  if she will make a statement on whether anti-TNFa treatment will be made available on prescription in all areas.

Liam Byrne: It is the responsibility of strategic health authorities to ensure local compliance with clinical guidelines issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
	The Department does not hold information on the number of people who would benefit from, or are receiving, specific treatments.
	All primary care trusts in England and Wales are obliged to make available anti-tumour necrosis factor treatment for those patients with rheumatoid arthritis who meet the clinical guidelines issued by NICE.

Visual Impairment

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the Department plans to address individual needs in their provision of services for people who suffer sight loss; and if she will set up a care agency to co-ordinate the provision of services for people who suffer from sight loss.

Liam Byrne: Provision of support and services for people who suffer sight loss are the responsibility of the local national health service and social care agencies. It is at a local level that services are commissioned and provided for people who suffer sight loss. We have no plans to set up a care agency to co-ordinate the provision of services for people who suffer from sight loss.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Bailiffs

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on the Department's plans to reform the law relating to bailiffs and the enforcement of fines.

Harriet Harman: Proposals to reform the law relating to bailiffs were published in the Government White Paper 'Effective Enforcement' in March 2003.
	The collection of fines is a priority in increasing confidence in the Criminal Justice System (CJS). Progress has been made through a combination of legislative and non-legislative measures. The payment rate for financial impositions in 2004–05 was 80 per cent. compared to a baseline of 69 per cent. at the end of the first quarter of 2003–04.
	The Courts Act 2003 is being implemented during 2005–06.

Ineffective and Cracked Trials

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps the Department is taking to reduce the number of (a) ineffective and (b) cracked trials.

Harriet Harman: The ineffective and cracked trial rate is a CJS performance indicator. Since June 2002, the national rate has improved from 24 per cent. to 14.0 per cent. in the Crown court and by 31 per cent. to 22.1 per cent. in the magistrates courts. This represents approximately a 42 per cent. and 28 per cent. improvement in the Crown court and magistrates courts respectively

Jury Research

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on the Department's plans to reform provisions relating to jury research and impropriety.

Harriet Harman: My Department currently has no plans to reform provisions relating to jury research and impropriety. In January 2005 my Department published a Consultation Paper—"Jury Research and Impropriety" and the relevant consultation period finished on 15 April. The responses are currently being analysed and an announcement of the Government's intentions for any change will be made in due course.

Magistrates

Graham Allen: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many magistrates there are in each commission area, broken down by constituency; and what assessment she has made of trends in recruitment.

Harriet Harman: Information on the number of magistrates is collected by advisory committee area and is set out as follows as of 31 March 2005.
	
		
			 Advisory committee area Total 
		
		
			 Avon 305 
			 Barnsley 108 
			 Batley and Dewsbury 86 
			 Bedfordshire 296 
			 Berkshire 361 
			 Birmingham 414 
			 Bradford 243 
			 Bristol 292 
			 Buckinghamshire 368 
			 Calderdale 129 
			 Cambridgeshire 363 
			 Carmarthen 145 
			 Ceredigion 61 
			 Cheshire 456 
			 Cleveland 480 
			 Clwyd 396 
			 Cornwall 216 
			 Coventry 231 
			 Cumbria 295 
			 Derbyshire 398 
			 Devon 337 
			 Doncaster 180 
			 Dorset 350 
			 Dudley 220 
			 Durham 286 
			 Essex 619 
			 Gateshead 138 
			 Glamorgan—Mid 233 
			 Glamorgan—South 340 
			 Glamorgan—West 257 
			 Gloucestershire 243 
			 Greater Manchester 1,781 
			 Gwent 290 
			 Hampshire 777 
			 Hereford and Worcester 438 
			 Hertfordshire 428 
			 Huddersfield 115 
			 Humberside 272 
			 Isle of Wight 69 
			 Keighley 110 
			 Kent 763 
			 Kingston upon Hull 167 
			 Lancashire 1,140 
			 Leeds 396 
			 Leicester 273 
			 Leicestershire 246 
			 Lincolnshire 392 
			 London—City 130 
			 London—Inner 686 
			 London—Middlesex 986 
			 London—North East 515 
			 London—South East 383 
			 London—South West 374 
			 Merseyside 979 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 210 
			 Norfolk 442 
			 North Yorkshire 384 
			 Northamptonshire 380 
			 Northumberland 189 
			 Nottingham 386 
			 Nottinghamshire 270 
			 Oxfordshire 302 
			 Pembroke 71 
			 Plymouth 162 
			 Pontefract 73 
			 Powys 80 
			 Rotherham 118 
			 Sheffield 296 
			 Shropshire 234 
			 Solihull 171 
			 Somerset 259 
			 Staffordshire 535 
			 Suffolk 272 
			 Sunderland 220 
			 Surrey 349 
			 Sussex 768 
			 Sutton Coldfield 149 
			 Tyneside—North 124 
			 Tyneside— South 112 
			 Wakefield 88 
			 Walsall 170 
			 Warley 155 
			 Warwickshire 197 
			 West Bromwich 144 
			 Wiltshire 267 
			 Wolverhampton 167 
			 Totals 28,300 
		
	
	The number of magistrates recruited over the last ten years is set out as follows.
	
		
			  Magistrates recruited Men Women 
		
		
			 1994 1,593 810 783 
			 1995 1,843 907 936 
			 1996 1,682 830 852 
			 1997 1,573 764 809 
			 1998 1,609 816 793 
			 1999 1,743 884 859 
			 2000 (4)—; (4)—; (4)—; 
			 2001(5) 1,618 834 784 
			 2002(6) 1,474 763 711 
			 2003 1,623 838 785 
			 2004 1,768 939 829 
		
	
	(4) No figures available
	(5) From 2001, data was collected on a financial year, rather than calendar year, basis.
	(6) Figures for magistrates in the Duchy of Lancaster are not available for 2002.

Magistrates

Graham Allen: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the proportion of magistrates from each socio-economic group in each year since 1997.

Harriet Harman: Data on the proportion of magistrates from each socio-economic group is not collected.

Magistrates Courts

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many magistrates' courts have closed in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years.

Harriet Harman: Up to and including 31 March 2005, the provision of magistrates' courthouses was a matter for the 42 independent Magistrates' Courts Committees (MCC).
	From 1 April 2005, Her Majesty's Court Service, an executive agency of my Department, is now responsible for the administration of all magistrates' courts in England and Wales. For the last 10 years the information you requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Numbers closed 
		
		
			 1996 21 
			 1997 22 
			 1998 24 
			 1999 7 
			 2000 17 
			 2001 24 
			 2002 6 
			 2003 17 
			 2004 0 
			 2005 1

Rape Trials

Vera Baird: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what proportion of rape allegations resulted in a guilty plea in England and Wales during (a) 2003 and (b) 2004.

Paul Goggins: I have been asked to reply.
	Data on allegations are not collected centrally. The available information, on the number of defendants who were tried at the Crown Court for rape, the percentage pleading guilty and the percentage of those pleading not guilty who were convicted, in England and Wales in 2003 is contained in the table. Equivalent data for 2004 are not yet available.
	
		Proportion pleading guilty and conviction rate following a not guilty plea for persons tried at the Crown Court, for rape(7), 2003
		
			 England and Wales 
			 Offence Total number tried Percentage pleading guilty(8) Percentage of those pleading not guilty convicted(8) 
		
		
			 Rape of a female 1,603 15 28 
			 Rape of a male 84 (18) (42) 
			 Total rape 1,687 15 29 
		
	
	(7) These data are on the principal offence basis.
	(8) Excludes those not tried (i.e. bench warrants issued, indictment to lie on file, unfit to plead, defendant died etc.)
	Note:
	Percentages in brackets are based on totals of less than 100.

DEFENCE

Botulinum Toxin

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether (a) production and (b) testing on animals of botulinum toxin takes place at (i) Porton Down and (ii) other departmental establishments.

Adam Ingram: The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Dstl, at Porton Down produces only a small amount of crude botulinum toxin to test detection antibodies. This is not tested on animals.
	However, Dstl does produce an antitoxin to the seven serotypes of botulinum toxin. This could be used to treat personnel exposed to botulinum toxin in the event of it being used as a biological weapon. This antitoxin is manufactured in accordance with current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) and has been granted a Special Licence to enable it to be administered under the direction of, and by, medical personnel in the event of an emergency. The Ministry of Defence aims to obtain a full product licence for this antitoxin. Part of the regulated production process involves the use of commercially produced botulinum toxin in an animal model to assess the efficacy of the antitoxin.
	Under the UK's regulations for the approval of new medicines, an application for a product licence needs to be supported by data from animal studies showing the safety and effectiveness of the anti-toxin. All such animal tests in the UK are regulated under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

British Service Deployment

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British service personnel have been (a) deployed and (b) seconded to (i) Guantanamo Bay, (ii) Guam and (iii) Diego Garcia since 1997, and for what purpose; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hackney, North and Stoke Newington (Ms Abbott) and the hon. Member for Carmarthen, East and Dinefwr (Adam Price) on 24 May 2005, Official Report, column 54W.

Darfur

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent support has been offered to the African Union Force in Darfur with (a) logistics and (b) equipment; and what British military personnel are supporting this deployment.

Adam Ingram: The United Kingdom strongly supports the expansion of the African Union (AU) mission in Darfur, and is working with NATO, the EU and the UN to identify what assistance can be provided to support the AU's objectives. The UK will provide £6.6 million this financial year to help the expansion of the AU mission. It is planned that the money will be used to provide, among other things, additional off-road vehicles, rapid deployment equipment (including shelters) and support to civilian policing. In addition, the Ministry of Defence will provide some movement and logistics specialists, although the exact details of this contribution is yet to be finalised.

European Defence Agency

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what legal basis there is in the EU Treaties for the establishment of a European Defence Agency.

Adam Ingram: The European Defence Agency was established in July 2004 by a Joint Action of the Council, in accordance with Article 14 of the Treaty on European Union.

HMCS Chicoutimi

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the implications for the Royal Navy of the report and findings of the inquiry into the fire on board HMCS Chicoutimi.

Adam Ingram: The Royal Navy is currently reviewing the findings and recommendations of the Canadian board of inquiry.

Iraq

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether private security firms and personnel are employed in the (a) management and (b) running of prisons and detention centres under the control of the UK in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: The United Kingdom has one detention centre in Iraq, the Divisional Temporary Detention Facility situated in Shaibah Logistics Base. No private security firms or personnel are involved in the management or running of that facility.

Military Records (First World War)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the preservation of military index cards relating to British servicemen in the First World War.

Don Touhig: The index cards to the First World War Army medal rolls are already preserved in a microfilmed format and available to researchers at the National Archives (in Class WO 372) and through the National Archives website online. The microfilming process captured the information held on the front of the cards, all but a very small percentage of the backs of the cards being blank.
	The Ministry of Defence has no further administrative use for the cards and, with the National Archives, has actively sought to identify a suitable institution prepared to accept the original cards, understanding the value attached to such records by many people. The Imperial War Museum has accepted the women's cards and the remainder of the collection has been transferred into the custody of the Western Front Association.

Royal Green Jackets

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future location of the Royal Green Jackets regiment.

Adam Ingram: No decision has been made on the future locations of the two battalions of the Royal Green Jackets.

Tornado Engine Project

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the financial impact on the Tornado engine project arising from the application of the Value Engineering Review and Management procedure for cost control; whether the procedure is applied to all defence projects; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: This particular procedure is not used by the Ministry of Defence for the procurement and logistic support of equipment. However, the MOD uses a number of initiatives and processes in partnership with industry to improve performance, reliability, quality, safety and life cycle costs on all defence procurement projects.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Castle Court/Cathedral Way/Royal Avenue

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will produce the masterplans for the Castle Court and Cathedral Way/Royal Avenue areas of Belfast.

David Hanson: Public consultation on the draft masterplans for the Castlecourt and Cathedral Way/Royal Avenue areas of Belfast ended on 23 May 2005. Officials in the Department for Social Development are evaluating the representations received on the draft masterplans and I will announce the way forward on finalising the masterplans as soon as this work is completed.

Racially Motivated Assault

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many racially motivated assaults have been reported in each of the last five years in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: The following table sets out the figures for all racially motivated incidents which took place between 2000 and 2004.
	
		
			  2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Verbal abuse/threat 77 50 56 109 
			 Written material 1 4 3 10 
			 Graffiti 6 2 4 7 
			 Physical assault (9)58 (9)37 (9)50 (9)103 
			 Attack on home 49 38 59 148 
			 Attack on property 45 33 39 57 
			 Other 24 21 15 19 
			 Total 260 185 226 453 
		
	
	(9) Racially motivated assaults.
	A new method of recording these figures was introduced in 2004–05. The statistics issued by the Chief Constable are subject to strict Home Office counting rules and as a result are not directly comparable with the figures provided in the previous table.
	The figures for 2004–05 are as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Total number of racially motivated crimes reported to police 634 
			 Total number of racially motivated woundings and assaults 187 
			 Total number of racially motivated incidents (includes crimes) reported to police 821 
		
	
	PSNI believe the rise in figures to be due to an increase in racially motivated offences, improved confidence in the PSNI among minority ethnic communities and improved recording systems.

Suicides

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have committed suicide in the Province in each of the last 10 years, broken down by age and gender.

Angela Smith: The following table gives the number of deaths registered in Northern Ireland for each year between 1995 and 2004 due to 'suicide and self-inflicted injury' 1 and 'undetermined injury whether accidentally or purposefully inflicted' 2 .
	1 International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes X60-X84, Y87.0 for years 2001–04 and Ninth Revision codes E950-E959 for years 1995–2000.
	2 International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes Y10-Y34, Y87.2 for years 2001–04 and Ninth Revision codes E980-E989 for years 1995–2000.
	
		Number of registered deaths by year in Northern Ireland due to 'suicide and self-inflicted injury' and 'undetermined injury whether accidentally or purposefully inflicted' by gender and age
		
			  Age band 
			 Gender Under 15 15–19 20–24 25–29 30–34 35–39 40–44 45–54 55–64 65–74 75+ Total 
		
		
			 1995 
			 Male 0 16 14 9 12 10 12 12 7 6 7 105 
			 Female 1 0 4 2 1 7 3 7 8 5 3 41 
			 1996 
			 Male 1 5 18 16 18 9 10 14 10 9 4 114 
			 Female 0 1 2 1 3 6 3 8 0 4 1 29 
			 1997 
			 Male 1 9 16 16 12 10 7 19 8 7 3 108 
			 Female 1 3 3 1 3 1 3 7 5 3 0 30 
			 1998 
			 Male 1 13 14 17 20 6 13 13 8 7 1 113 
			 Female 0 5 0 4 4 8 4 6 3 3 0 37 
			 1999 
			 Male 0 12 19 18 19 12 14 17 8 4 4 127 
			 Female 0 5 4 1 2 5 2 4 1 2 1 27 
			 2000 
			 Male 0 13 25 25 15 12 18 12 13 5 2 140 
			 Female 0 6 0 5 4 3 8 12 3 1 3 45 
			 2001 
			 Male 0 11 21 11 23 14 14 20 4 10 4 132 
			 Female 1 1 1 3 2 1 3 7 2 4 1 26 
			 2002 
			 Male 1 10 12 31 18 12 14 29 6 5 4 142 
			 Female 1 2 0 5 10 4 4 8 3 1 3 41 
			 2003 
			 Male 1 4 14 15 10 14 13 21 10 6 4 112 
			 Female 0 1 4 0 8 4 4 8 2 1 0 32 
			 20041 
			 Male 0 7 12 5 13 16 10 24 10 4 4 105 
			 Female 0 2 3 4 5 4 3 9 5 4 1 40 
		
	
	(10) Provisional data.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Citizens Advice Bureaux

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many citizens advice bureaux there were in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: This information is published regularly in Citizens Advice's annual report. Copies of these reports are available in the Libraries of the House.

Citizens Advice Bureaux

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many citizens advice bureaux offices there were in each local authority area in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department does not hold this information.

Coal Health Claims

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what legal advice was given to his Department on the signing of separate coal health agreements with Vendside Ltd. and the Union of Democratic Mineworkers.

Malcolm Wicks: Following the judgments against British Coal in both the vibration white finger and respiratory disease litigations, the High Court ordered the DTI to set up schemes, in agreement with miners' solicitors, to assess compensation for both types of claim. Claims had by then been registered through the Claimants Solicitors Group (the CSG), some of which were sponsored by the main mining unions, the NUM and NACODS. The UDM had also registered a large number of claims directly on behalf of their members, through their dedicated claims handling company, Vendside Ltd. The CSG and the UDM were unable to work together or enter into single arrangements for historical reasons. The legal advice received by the Department was that it was appropriate to enter into separate claims handling arrangements with the CSG and the UDM, provided that the compensation delivered to the claimant under both schemes was the same.

Coal Health Claims

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what legal advice was given to his Department on the signing of a coal health claim agreement with Vendside Ltd.

Malcolm Wicks: Vendside Ltd. were, at the time of entering into the claims handling arrangements, the vehicle through which the UDM presented claims on behalf of their members. Vendside Ltd. entered into the vibration white finger claims handling arrangement for and on behalf of the UDM. The legal advice received at the time was that Vendside Ltd. had authority to enter into arrangement for and on behalf of the UDM.

Coal Health Claims

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when his Department was first informed of complaints about double charging by (a) claims handlers and (b) Vendside.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department first became aware of the scale of administration charges by both claims handlers and some unions in 2003.

Coal Health Claims

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department met the Union of Democratic Mineworkers in (i) 1998 and (ii) 1999 regarding coal health claims.

Malcolm Wicks: Detailed information on such meetings is no longer readily available.

Coal Health Claims

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what investigations his Department has undertaken into (a) Walker and Co Ltd. and (b) Indiclaim Ltd.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department has not undertaken any investigations into Walker and Co Ltd. and Indiclaim Ltd.

Coal Health Claims

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the claimants' solicitors group was first informed of the (a) Vendside and (b) Union of Democratic Mineworkers coal health agreements by his Department.

Malcolm Wicks: Claimants' solicitors were first informed of the agreements with Vendside and the Union of Democratic Mineworkers in 1999.

Coal Health Claims

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on progress made to date in introducing a minimum payments scheme for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease claims by former miners and their families.

Malcolm Wicks: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Bassetlaw (John Mann) on 24 May 2005, Official report, column 51W.

Coal Health Claims

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of claims for compensation for cases of vibration white finger initially classified as Group 3 and for which liability was denied by claims handlers were reclassified to Groups 1 or 2 on further review; and what proportion of claims initially classified as Group 3 were accepted on review as Group 3 with exposure.

Malcolm Wicks: A total of 169,197 claims have been received for vibration white finger of which an initial Group 3 denial was made in 46,913 cases. This denial was contested in 16,260 cases and 9,937 of these cases have been investigated, with further information being provided at this stage. Completed investigations show that 36 per cent. of investigated claims are classified as Group 1 or 2 and 9 per cent. are accepted as Group 3 with exposure. So, of the 46,913 initially classified as Group 3 and denied, so far, 8 per cent. have been reclassified as Groups 1 or 2 and 2 per cent. have been accepted as Group 3 with exposure.

Coal Health Claims

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the performance of claims handlers in accurately determining liability in claims for compensation for vibration white finger.

Malcolm Wicks: Decisions which confirmed occupational group (and therefore liability) were originally taken by claims handlers. From late 2001, disputed Group 3 claims have been investigated by a separate team who have substantial direct mining experience. This team also reviewed all claims which were initially denied to ensure the correct liability decision had been made. I am confident that the significant experience of this team, amounting to some 1,300 years in total, has resulted in sound decisions on liability being made. There are dispute procedures where claimants think otherwise

Non-fossil Purchasing Agency

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what the size of the fund administered by Ofgem resulting from surplus revenue collected by the Non-Fossil Purchasing Agency has been in each year since 2001; how much and what percentage of the fund was invested to promote the use of renewable energy in each year; and for what purposes the remainder of the fund was allocated in each year;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the surplus revenue to be collected by the Non-Fossil Purchasing Agency in the 2005–06 financial year; and what percentage of that revenue he plans to invest in the promotion of the use of renewable energy.

Malcolm Wicks: The size of the fund administered by Ofgem, resulting from surplus revenue collected by the Non-Fossil Purchasing Agency (NFPA), in each year since 2001 is as follows:
	
		
			 Year ending March Size of the fund (£ million) 
		
		
			 2001 63.8 
			 2002 28.6 
			 2003 87.1 
			 2004 146.5 
			 2005 169.1 
		
	
	Section 7 of the Sustainable Energy Act 2003 authorised the transfer of £60 million on 14 July 2004 for the support of renewable energy projects. This £60 million forms part of the £500 million that the Government are spending on R and D and capital grants for emerging renewable and low carbon technologies between 2002 and 2008. The remainder will be returned to the Consolidated Fund, which is held by HM Treasury, subject to the need to keep a £30 million reserve.
	In its business plan, the NFPA projected a forecast surplus of about £100 million for the financial year 2005–06. This would increase the fund to approx. £270 million by the end of March 2006 if no further distribution were made from the fund during this year.

Nuclear Industry

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether consent from the Scottish Executive is required for nuclear generation stations to be built or extended in Scotland. [R]

Malcolm Wicks: Yes.

Sellafield

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the safety implications of the recent leak at the Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant at Sellafield; and when the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate is expected to make its report on the leak.

Malcolm Wicks: British Nuclear Group informed the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Nuclear Installations Inspectorate on 20 April of a leak of dissolved spent fuel, resulting from a failure in the pipe-work within the Feed Clarification Cell in the Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant (THORP). Material leaked within THORP into a fully enclosed stainless steel clad cell designed to safely contain such leakages. The plant is in a safe and stable state. There has been no release of radioactivity from THORP and there is no risk to employees, the local community or the environment. Safety is the key priority and British Nuclear Group Sellafield Ltd. is working to recover the liquid in a safe and controlled manner. HSE has been kept informed throughout.
	BNGSL issued a press statement outlining the findings of the internal inquiry which may be found at http://www.britishnucleargroup.com/index.aspx?page=30.
	HSE is carrying out its own independent investigation, the findings of which it will make public. Because of the wide range and complexity of the investigation it is not yet known when the findings will be reported.

Strategic Petroleum and Oil Reserves

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received from the petroleum supply industry concerning the security of supply and strategic reserves.

Malcolm Wicks: The UK is obliged as a member state of the European Union to hold emergency stocks of oil and as a member of the International Energy Agency to take part in any collective response to a major international supply disruption. These stocks are held by companies. My Department held a public consultation in 2003 and 2004 seeking views on the future of the UK's system for meeting these obligations so as to ensure long-term security of supply, and has been working with the industry since then to agree a basis for the new system.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total overtime (a) worked and (b) paid has been at the Child Support Agency for each reporting period since 2003–04; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Mr. Stephen Geraghty. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty to Mr. David Laws, dated 9 June 2005
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total overtime (a) worked and (b) paid has been at the Child Support Agency for each reporting period since 2003–04; and if he will make a statement.
	The table below shows actual expenditure incurred on overtime in the two years 2003–04 and 2004–05.
	Details on actual hours worked can be accessed through specific payroll interrogation and can only be provided at a disproportionate cost. However we can provide an estimate of the total hours worked based on reasonable assumptions around grade and salaries. This estimate is shown in the table below.
	
		
			  Number of overtime hours worked Total overtime expenditure (£ million) 
		
		
			 2003–04 400,000 5.665 
			 2004–05 385,000 5.871

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the (a) costs in staff time and (b) other costs of the delayed introduction of CS2 at the Child Support Agency; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Mr. Stephen Geraghty. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty to Mr. David Laws, dated 9 June 2005
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the extra costs in (a) staff time and (b) other costs of the delayed introduction of CS2 at the Child Support Agency; and if he will make a statement.
	An exercise is underway to collect information on the costs of delay that will form part of commercial negotiations with EDS. Following conclusion of these commercial discussions a paper on the costs of delay will be submitted to the Work and Pensions Select Committee.

Economic Inactivity

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research he has collated on international variations in the proportion of economic inactivity in the labour force due to claims for illness and disability; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: Internationally comparable data on the proportion of economic inactivity due to sickness and disability are not available. However, cross-country comparisons of economic inactivity and sickness and disability benefit receipt are available separately and are set out in the tables.
	The UK has one of the lowest economic inactivity rates in the OECD. Among the G7 countries, the UK has the second lowest economic inactivity rate after Canada.
	
		Table 1: Economic inactivity rates in the G7
		
			  Economic inactivity rate (percentage) persons 15–64 
		
		
			 Canada 21.9 
			 France 31.8 
			 Germany 28.7 
			 Italy 38.4 
			 Japan 27.7 
			 UK 23.4 
			 US 24.2 
			 OECD average 30.2 
		
	
	Source:
	OECD Employment Outlook 2004
	Figures for 2003
	International comparisons of benefit receipt are difficult to make because of differences in benefit design, definitions of disability and demographics. However, the available evidence shows that the proportion of working age people in the UK in receipt of sickness and disability benefits is around the OECD average of 7 per cent.
	
		Table 2: Recipients of sickness and disability benefits in 16OECD countries
		
			  Proportion of the working age population in receipt of sickness and disability benefits (percentage) 
		
		
			 Japan 3 
			 New Zealand 4 
			 Spain 4 
			 Belgium 5 
			 Canada 5 
			 Austria 5 
			 Ireland 6 
			 Australia 6 
			 Germany 7 
			 France 7 
			 UK 7 
			 US 8 
			 Slovak Republic 9 
			 Netherlands 11 
			 Denmark 11 
			 Sweden 12 
		
	
	Source:
	OECD Employment Outlook 2003
	Figures for 1999
	Progress has been made on inactivity in the UK, including among the sick and disabled, though we acknowledge the need to do more. The Department for Work and Pensions Five Year Strategy sets out our intentions to help those people on incapacity benefits to get the support they need to return to work. We are extending employment opportunities more widely, not just to the unemployed, but to those jobless people previously outside the labour market altogether.

Incapacity Benefit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average length of time for an appeal by a claimant against a decision on non-entitlement to incapacity benefit to be heard was in each of the last 10 years.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 6 June 2005
	This is a matter for Christina Townsend, Chief Executive of the Appeals Service. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Christina Townsend to Mr. Frank Field, dated 9 June 2005
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question regarding what the average length of time for an appeal by a claimant against a decision on non-entitlement to incapacity benefit to be heard was in each of the last 10 years.
	The information you have asked for is not available in the format requested as data on incapacity benefit is only collated since 2000. The table below, therefore, only shows the average length of time for an incapacity benefit appeal to be heard since 2000.
	
		Average time (in weeks) for an incapacity benefit appeal from receipt at the Appeals Service to first hearing
		
			 weeks 
			  Average time 
		
		
			 January 2000 to December 2000 12.15 
			 January 2001 to December 2001 10.88 
			 January 2002 to December 2002 9.60 
			 January 2003 to December 2003 8.86 
			 January 2004 to December 2004 8.20 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. No incapacity benefit figures are available prior to 2000.
	2. All figures are subject to change as more up to date data becomes available.
	3. Figures for the latest months may change as further information feeds through to the Appeals Service.
	4. Figures are rounded to two decimal places.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. Sample.
	I hope this reply is helpful.

MG Rover

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether members of the MG Rover pension fund will be eligible for assistance from the pension protection scheme.

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the application of the Pension Protection Fund for former workers at MG Rover.

Stephen Timms: The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) will protect members of defined benefit schemes by paying compensation if their employer becomes insolvent and the pension scheme is underfunded.
	We are very aware that this is a worrying time for Rover workers but pensioners are currently receiving their pensions in full and we believe it remains a question of when, not if, a PPF assessment period will start. At the moment, the Rover schemes have not yet entered an assessment period because one of the participating employers is still solvent.

MG Rover

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the application of the Pension Protection Fund from early retired Rover workers who worked for Rover while it was run by Phoenix Venture Holdings.

Stephen Timms: We are very aware that this is a worrying time for Rover workers but pensioners are currently receiving their pensions in full and we believe it remains a question of when, not if, a PPF assessment period will start. At the moment the Rover schemes have not yet entered an assessment period because one of the participating employers is still solvent.
	The Pension Protection Fund provides 90 per cent. level of compensation for those members who, immediately before the assessment date, are under the scheme's normal pension age. This includes early retirees. However, those members who took early retirement, but have then reached the scheme's normal pension age before the assessment date, will receive 100 per cent. level of compensation.
	The compensation cap applies to all members who receive 90 per cent. level of compensation. The compensation cap is age related and is currently £27,777.78 at age 65 (effectively £25,000 at 90 per cent. level). The compensation cap is adjusted, according to age, in accordance with actuarial factors published by the board of the PPF.
	There are two groups of individuals who, regardless of age, are not subject to the 90 per cent. compensation level; individuals who, before the assessment date, are already in receipt of a survivors' pension and those in receipt of an early pension on the grounds of ill health.

Motability Scheme

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to allow disability living allowance benefits to be used for transport support without automatic link to Motability programmes.

Anne McGuire: People entitled to the disability living allowance higher rate mobility component may, if they so choose, use it to obtain a vehicle through the Motability scheme, but they are not obliged to do so and may use the benefit to help with their mobility or transport needs in any way that they wish.

Motability Scheme

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what role his Department played in developing new dealer accreditation arrangements for the Motability scheme.

Anne McGuire: The Department played no role in the development of new dealer accreditation standards for the Motability Powered Wheelchair and Scooter Scheme. The scheme is directed and overseen by the charity, Motability, and is operated by a private company, route2mobility Ltd. under contract to Motability. The dealer accreditation and other arrangements under which the scheme operates are matters for Motability and route2mobility within the overall scheme objective of providing consistent value and customer service to disabled people using the scheme.

Motability Scheme

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of wheelchair and scooter suppliers able to provide a UK-wide service under the new dealer accreditation arrangements for the Motability scheme.

Anne McGuire: There are currently some 10 wheelchair and scooter suppliers who are potentially able to provide a UK-wide service under the new dealer accreditation arrangements for the Motability Scheme.

Occupation Supports Participation

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to implement the recommendations in the report Occupation Supports Participation; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The report "Occupation Supports Participation" was produced by a joint Department for Work and Pensions/Department of Health Working Group of expertise from the voluntary, private and public sectors.
	The report put forward a number of recommendations to improve employment opportunities for people with a learning disability. It fulfils a commitment in the White Paper "Valuing People" and officials from DWP have recently met with the National Director of the Valuing People Support Team to discuss how the recommendations can be implemented.
	The Government are firmly committed to improving the employment opportunities of disabled people.

Pensioner Poverty

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of UK pensioners living in absolute poverty for each year from 1985–86 to 2005–06; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The sixth annual 'Opportunity for all' report (Cm 6239) sets out the Government's strategy for tackling poverty and social exclusion and reports progress against a range of measures.
	There is no fully consistent time series using a single data source for the number of pensioners below low income thresholds since 1985–86.
	Information for 1994–95 to 2003–04 is presented in the following table:
	
		Number of pensioners with income below 60 per cent. of contemporary median and 1996–97 median income
		
			  (Relative) after housing costs (Absolute) after housing costs 
		
		
			 1994–95 2.7 3.1 
			 1995–96 2.6 3.1 
			 1996–97 2.8 2.8 
			 1997–98 2.7 2.6 
			 1998–99 2.7 2.4 
			 1999–2000 2.6 2.0 
			 2000–01 2.5 1.6 
			 2001–02 2.3 1.2 
			 2002–03 2.3 1.0 
			 2003–04 2.0 0.9 
		
	
	Note:
	Table shows number of pensioner population in millions.
	Source:
	Households Below Average Income 2003/04
	Further information showing the proportion and number of pensioners living in low income households, including annual levels, can be found in the publication 'Households Below Average Income 1994/95–2003/04', a copy of which can be found in the House of Commons Library. This also reports changes between 1987 and 1995–96, using the data source and income definitions previously employed for the 'Households Below Average Income' series.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum and Immigration

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of migrants who apply for refugee status and for whom it is determined that they do not qualify, have been removed from the UK since May 2004; and what the average time between refusal and removal was over that period.

Tony McNulty: It is not possible to know exactly what proportion of applications made since May 2004 will prove to be unfounded, or will eventually result in removal.
	Information on the numbers of asylum applications and removals of failed asylum seekers is published in the quarterly asylum statistics on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Asylum and Immigration

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many accommodation centres for asylum seekers other than that proposed at Bicester he expects to be built over the next five years.

Tony McNulty: We do not expect to build any further accommodation centres over the next five years.

Asylum and Immigration

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what he expects the average cost will be of processing an applicant for refugee status at the proposed accommodation centre for asylum seekers at Bicester.

Tony McNulty: The average cost will depend on the throughput time, which will depend on a number of factors including the mix of cases and asylum intake at the time, which cannot yet be established. The accommodation centre near Bicester is a trial of a new approach to support applicants through the asylum process; costs of processing will be one factor considered in the evaluation of that trial.

Asylum and Immigration

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the average cost of processing applications by migrants claiming refugee status to determine whether they are entitled to refugee status.

Tony McNulty: Unit cost data prepared by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate was published in the National Audit Office report, "Improving the Speed and Quality of Asylum Decisions" (HC 535, 23 June 2004). This shows that the estimated average cost of processing an application for asylum (including initial screening) in 2002–03 was £1,850. These figures do not include the costs of asylum appeals, legal aid, or the cost of supporting asylum seekers awaiting a decision on their application.

Asylum and Immigration

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to end the practice of detaining asylum seekers in prisons in Northern Ireland.

Tony McNulty: We have no plans to end the current arrangements for immigration detainees in Northern Ireland. Male detainees continue to be accommodated at the Northern Ireland Prison Service's Working Out Unit in Belfast. Female immigration detainees are accommodated at the Hydebank Wood Young Offenders Centre and Prison. There is a presumption in all cases that individuals detained in Northern Ireland will be transferred to a removal centre in Great Britain unless they express a wish to remain in Northern Ireland.

Asylum and Immigration

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers were detained in prisons in Northern Ireland in each of the past three years; what the average period of detention in each case was; and from which country each asylum seeker orginated.

Tony McNulty: At present the Home Office does not hold information on asylum seekers detained over a period. Quarterly snapshots are published showing the number of people detained under Immigration Act powers on the last Saturday of each quarter. The number of asylum seekers detained in Northern Ireland prisons on the last Saturday of each of the last three years, and the length of time they have been in detention, are shown in the following tables. The asylum seekers in these figures were nationals of one of the following countries: Algeria, China, Serbia and Montenegro, Macedonia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Thailand. Information on persons detained solely under Immigration Act powers is published on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate web site at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	
		Persons recorded as being in detention in Northern Ireland solely under Immigration Act powers as at the given date1, 2
		
			  Number of asylum seekers(13) 
		
		
			 28 December 2002 5 
			 27 December 2003 * 
			 25 December 2004 * 
		
	
	(11) Figures rounded to the nearest 5, with * = 1 or 2, and exclude persons detained in police cells and those in dual detention.
	(12) Figures from 28 December 2002 and 27 December 2003 are not directly comparable with 25 December 2004 due to a past undercount of immigration detainees held in all UK prisons. The number of detainees not previously counted was approximately 250 (as at end September 2004).
	(13) Persons detained under Immigration Act powers who are recorded as having sought asylum at some stage.
	
		Total persons recorded as being in detention in Northern Ireland solely under Immigration Act powers on 28 December 2002, 27 December 2003 and 25 December 2004, by length of detention1, 2, 3, 4
		
			  Number of asylum seekers(18) 
		
		
			 14 days or less — 
			 15 to 29 days — 
			 1 month to less than 2 months * 
			 2 months to less than 3 months — 
			 3 months to less than 4 months  
			 4 months to less than 6 months — 
			 6 months to less than 1 year 5 
			 1 year or more — 
		
	
	(14) Figures rounded to the nearest 5, with * = 1 or 2, and exclude persons detained in prisons or police cells, and those in dual detention.
	(15) Figures from 28 December 2002 and 27 December 2003 are not directly comparable with 25 December 2004 due to a past undercount of immigration detainees held in all UK prisons. The number of detainees not previously counted was approximately 250 (as at end September 2004).
	(16) Relates to current period of detention only.
	(17) 2 months is defined as 61 days; 4 months is defined as 122 days; 6 months is defined as 182 days.
	(18) Persons detained under Immigration Act powers who are recorded as having sought asylum at some stage.

Citizenship Ceremonies

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many citizenship ceremonies have taken place in Northern Ireland since their introduction; how many people have become British subjects as a result; and whether citizenship ceremonies taking place in Northern Ireland follow the same format as those taking place elsewhere in the UK.

Tony McNulty: 13 ceremonies have taken place in Northern Ireland since their introduction. 216 adults became British citizens as a result of attending those ceremonies, which were also attended by 43 minors who were registered as British citizens in line with their parents.
	Citizenship ceremonies taking place in Northern Ireland follow the same format as those taking place elsewhere in the UK, and are administered by the Lords Lieutenant on a rotational basis.

Class A Drugs (Teenagers)

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many teenagers in the London borough of Haringey he estimates have tried class A drugs in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The Home Office does not have drug use data broken down to the level of individual boroughs. Neither the survey of smoking, drinking and drug use amongst secondary school children nor the British Crime Survey, which are both used to measure drug use by young people, are able to provide estimates at this level. The most recent estimates of young people's drug use at the national level can be found in the 2004 headline figures of the survey of smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England (published in March 2005) and 'Drug Misuse Declared: findings from the 2003–04 British Crime Survey' (published in May 2005).

Drug-related Crime (Haringey)

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of crime in the London borough of Haringey was deemed to be drug-related in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: Recorded crime figures are used to measure the extent of crime in local areas. Although these include statistics on drugs offences—such as possession—and on property crimes—such as burglary—they do not contain information on the offender's drug habits. It is therefore not possible to estimate from these statistics the numbers of crimes in Haringey that are drug-related.

Identity Cards

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to publish his Department's appraisal of the biometrics technology for identity cards and the cost-benefits analysis of the introduction of identity cards prior to the Second Reading of the Identity Cards Bill.

Tony McNulty: The report of the UK Passport Service Biometrics Enrolment Trial was published on 25 May 2005. The objective of the trial was to test the processes, and record customer experience and attitude during the recording and verification of facial, iris and fingerprint biometrics. The trial was not aimed at testing the biometric technology. The latest information on costs and benefits of the identity cards scheme is contained in the Regulatory Impact Assessment which was published alongside the Identity Cards Bill on 25 May 2005. Copies of both the Biometric Enrolment Trial Report and the Regulatory Impact Assessment are available on the identity cards website www.identitycards.gov.uk.

Identity Cards

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list each category of information planned to be held on the identity card registry.

Tony McNulty: The information that may be held on the national identity register is strictly limited by the Identity Cards Bill. It is listed in Schedule 1 to the Bill and includes name, address, nationality, date and place of birth as well as biometric information.

Identity Cards

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to consult the Civil Registration Service on his proposals for identity cards; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Consultation is continuing with relevant stakeholders who have an interest in the proposals for identity cards.

Identity Checks (Heathrow)

Mark Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the performance of (a) the national automated fingerprint identification system and (b) the iris-check computer at London Heathrow airport.

Tony McNulty: All information technology solutions provided by the Home Office are subject to review to ensure that they continue to meet the business needs and requirements for which they were established.
	The last review of national automated fingerprint identification system (known as IDENT1 from 1 April 2005) was completed in April 2005.
	IRIS (iris records immigration system) is being introduced as a secure, automated border entry system using iris recognition technology. IRIS has passed confidence testing and is currently being trialled and evaluated in situ at Heathrow Terminals 2 and 4. Live trials will commence later in the summer. Once completed the live trials will be evaluated before a decision is made about introducing the system to eight other airport terminals throughout the United Kingdom.

Identity Theft

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government are taking to tackle identity theft; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The Government have reintroduced to Parliament the Identity Cards Bill, which makes provision for a national identity cards scheme to provide people with a highly secure means of protecting their identity. The Identity Cards Bill also includes a proposed new offence of being in possession or control of false identity documents, without reasonable cause.
	Alongside the work on identity cards, the Home Office, in collaboration with other Government Departments and private sector organisations, has set up the Identity Fraud Steering Committee to lead a cross public/private sector work programme to tackle identity theft and identity fraud. The programme co-ordinates existing activity in the public and private sectors and identifies new projects and initiatives to reduce identity crime. The Committee has set up a website—www.identitytheft.org.uk—which explains how to keep personal information safe, how to get help if one is the victim of identity theft, and what is being done to tackle this growing crime.
	The UK Passport Service has deployed a database of lost and stolen passports which is being shared with border authorities and police worldwide to prevent identity fraud. It is also piloting a system to undertake more background checks on passport applications.
	The Criminal Justice Act 2003 changed the law to align the penalty associated with fraudulently obtaining a driving licence with that for fraudulently obtaining a passport and made these arrestable offences. Fraudulently obtaining either document incurs a maximum penalty of two years' imprisonment.

Illegal Employment

Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many employers have been prosecuted for employing people who are in the country illegally in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The data contained in the table gives the number of defendants proceeded against for "Employing a person subject to immigration control who has attained the age of 16" under the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996, Sec. 8, England and Wales 1999 to 2003.
	Statistics on court proceedings for 2004 will be published in the autumn.
	
		Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts under Asylum and Immigration Act 1996, Sec. 8, England and Wales 1999 to 2003(19)
		
			  Proceeded against 
		
		
			 1999 4 
			 2000 10 
			 2001 5 
			 2002 2 
			 2003 2 
		
	
	(19) These data are on the principal immigration offence basis.

Immigration

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain from failed asylum seekers who were granted Exceptional Leave to Remain are awaiting a decision by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: 12,785 applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain made by people previously granted Exceptional Leave to Remain are currently awaiting decision in Managed Migration.

Immigration Appeals Tribunal

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account he takes of determinations by the Immigration Appeals Tribunal that a case has no merit when he is required to reconsider that case on grounds wider than those on which the Tribunal has considered it.

Tony McNulty: Cases are reconsidered on the basis of all the available evidence. This will include determinations by the Immigration Appeals Tribunal if they are relevant to the new evidence.

Migrant Workers

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his plans to prevent the abuse and exploitation of migrant workers in the UK.

Tony McNulty: The Government take very seriously the abuse and exploitation of migrant workers. Our strategy for dealing with this problem includes tackling human trafficking as a priority for our presidency of the European Union, strengthening the legislative framework, improving the security of administrative processes governing the entry of migrant workers, increasing enforcement action, and developing closer working between departments responsible for enforcing workplace regulations. We have introduced a new criminal offence of trafficking for the purpose of exploitation, including forced labour, punishable on conviction by a maximum of 14 years' imprisonment. We supported the legislation establishing the Gangmaster Licensing Authority, which will tackle illegal employment practices in the agricultural labour provision sector through statutory licensing. We will also introduce on the spot penalties for employers found to be using illegal migrant workers.
	The current work permit arrangements include checks to ensure work permit applicants are protected from potentially exploitative employment arrangements, and investigations are carried out where there is intelligence of abuse. We are also improving joint working across departmental boundaries. The Home Office is a key participant in Reflex, the multi-agency initiative created to tackle organised immigration crime, including people smuggling and human trafficking. We will also pilot a joint team in the West Midlands to examine the scope for closer co-operation between workplace enforcement agencies in relation to the use and exploitation of illegal migrant workers.

Online Identity Verification

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the user organisations for online identity inquiries with which his Department is having discussions; and if he will list (a) other potential users and (b) the locations where he envisages online inquiry facilities (i) with and (ii) without the ability to check a person's biometric data which will be available (A) for Government use and (B) for use by other organisations.

Tony McNulty: Identity cards will provide a convenient and secure way for individuals to prove their identity and, with their consent, for identity verification checks to be made by a range of potential public and private sector users. The Identity Cards Programme Team have had discussions with a number of public sector organisations including: Cabinet Office, Department for Constitutional Affairs, Department for Education and Skills, Department of Transport, Department of Health, DVLA, Department for Work and Pensions, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, Her Majesty's Treasury, Immigration and Nationality Directorate, Criminal Records Bureau, Local Government Association, Northern Ireland Office, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Office for National Statistics, E-Government Unit, Association of Chief Police Officers, Scottish Executive, National Assembly for Wales and United Kingdom Passport Service. The Identity Cards Programme Team has also briefed representatives from the private sector including the banking, utilities, aviation and retail sectors.
	In all cases, verification checks of cards will not give access to the contents of the database or the details of the biometric. They will simply confirm identity and other relevant details, for example to confirm whether a foreign national is free to take employment.
	It is too early for any detailed discussions on the locations at which identity checks will be carried out and where they will involve biometric checks.

Queen's Award for Voluntary Service

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many groups (a) were nominated for and (b) received The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service; and how many represented ethnic minority groups in each case.

Paul Goggins: 617 groups were nominated for The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service 2005, of which 580 were eligible. 92 groups received The Queen's Award. 44 of the eligible nominations represented ethnic minority groups and 11 of those received The Queen's Award.

Security Industry Authority

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people with serious criminal records have been granted a licence by the Security Industry Authority once the five-year period has elapsed after the date of their last offence.

Paul Goggins: This information is not held centrally.

Traffic Wardens

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many traffic wardens there are in the East Midlands region.

Paul Goggins: The latest available information on the number of traffic wardens employed by police authorities in the East Midlands is in the following table. The table does not include parking attendants employed by local authorities to enforce non-criminal parking infringements.
	
		Number of traffic wardens in the East Midlands as at 31 December 2004
		
			  Force Total strength (Q)(full-time equivalent) Total strength (Q(head count) 
		
		
			 Derbyshire 42.04 43 
			 Leicestershire 33.95 35 
			 Lincolnshire 21.25 22 
			 Northamptonshire 2.78 4 
			 Nottinghamshire 34.79 37 
			 Total 134.81 141

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

EU Legislation

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the procedure by which Parliament will assess whether EU legislation complies with the subsidiarity principle.

Douglas Alexander: The Government believe that it is for the two Houses to decide what parliamentary procedures would be most effective to implement the subsidiarity early warning mechanism as envisaged in the new constitutional treaty. The Government are aware that the House of Lords European Union Committee has produced a report on the subsidiarity early warning mechanism, for which the Foreign Secretary provided a memorandum on 3 November 2004, and the Select Committee on the Modernisation of the House of Commons and the European Scrutiny Committee have also considered this issue. The Government hope that cooperation between the two Houses on working out an effective procedure for the subsidiarity mechanism, in consultation with the devolved legislatures as appropriate, will continue.

EU Presidency

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what the budget allocation for the presidency unit is for 2005–06, broken down by (a) activity and (b) budget line;
	(2)  what the estimated spending on official meetings from the budget for UK presidency of the EU is, including the Gymnich and European Councils.

Douglas Alexander: The initial budget allocation for the presidency unit in 2005–06 is £8.44 million. This breaks down as follows:
	
		
			  
		
		
			 Official meetings (including the Gymnich at £1.1 million and two European Councils totalling £2 million) £5.08 million 
			 Administration (including human resources and training) £2.726 million 
			 Official presidency website (including translation costs) £200,000 
			 Public information and communication £250,000 
			 Capital costs (including capital charges) £182,000 
		
	
	There is likely to be some variation in final spending patterns and exact individual costs.

EU Presidency

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the estimated spending on the UK presidency of the EU is, broken down by activity; and how much has been spent to date.

Douglas Alexander: Expected spending over the 18-month planning period and the six-month operational period of the presidency currently breaks down as follows:
	
		
			  
		
		
			 Official meetings (including the Gymnich and European Councils) £5.91 million 
			 Administration (including human resources and training) £3.85 million 
			 Official presidency website £388,000 
			 Public information and communication £350,000 
			 Total provisional budget £10.56 million 
		
	
	Spend to the end of March 2004–05 is currently costed at £1.97 million. Year-end accounts are currently being finalised and this figure is subject to change.

EU Presidency

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the Government's priorities for the UK presidency of the EU.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 6 June 2005
	Europe is facing a series of challenges: emerging competition in global markets; new threats to our security; climate change and inequality between rich and poor. The Government's priorities for the UK presidency will focus on:
	economic reform, as my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out in his written statement to the House on 26 May, we will aim to help equip Europe to meet the global economic challenge by pushing forward the Better Regulation agenda, the Lisbon agenda and moving forward the post Financial Services Action Plan agenda, Official Report, columns 23–24WS;
	security, where we will follow up commitments in the EU's Counter Terrorism Action Plan and take forward key measures such as the European Evidence Warrant and data retention;
	climate change, where we will co-ordinate EU strategy for the Montreal UN Climate Change conference; encourage technology to reduce emissions; begin work on developing consensus on the need to tackle aviation emissions in an economically efficient way and step up dialogue with China and India;
	Africa, where we will take forward work on a higher EU aid target and the UN Millennium Summit; build on the Commission for Africa Report; and press at the Hong Kong World Trade Organisation ministerial meeting in December for better market access for the developing world.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the statement my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made to the House on 6 June on the EU constitutional treaty, Official Report, columns 991–92.

Europe Directorate Budget

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much of the Europe Directorate Budget for (a) materials and (b) media relations for financial year 2004–05 has been spent, broken down by category of materials; and what future materials are planned.

Douglas Alexander: In 2004–05, approximately £425,000 was spent by the Europe Directorate on materials and media relations. From this about £150,000 was spent in preparation for the EU presidency and £270,000 on general EU communications.

Europe Directorate Budget

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Europe Directorate's contracts for (a) e-communications and (b) partnership marketing will extend beyond financial year 2004–05; what work on these activities has been completed; and what work is planned.

Douglas Alexander: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's contracts with two specialist agencies for e-communications and partnership marketing are set to continue for some of financial year 2005–06. Final decisions have not yet been made on communication activities relating to the EU constitutional treaty for financial year 2005–06.

European Constitution

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the qualified majority voting rules set out in the treaty establishing a constitution for Europe on the UK's power to block the adoption of legislation.

Douglas Alexander: The Government do not believe the new voting arrangements in the EU constitutional treaty represent a significant change in the UK or other member states' powers to pass or block the adoption of legislation. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's commentary on the treaty (Cm. 6459) provides a detailed analysis of the changes in voting rules which would be introduced by the EU constitutional treaty if it were to come into force. In addition, the treaty would give national parliaments a direct say in the EU's law-making procedures for the first time.

European Constitution

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the procedure is by which Parliament would approve a decision to move from unanimity to qualified majority voting under the procedures in Articles III-422.1, III-234, III-269.3, Article I-55.4, Article III-210.3, I-40.7 and Article III-300.3 of the treaty establishing a constitution for Europe.

Douglas Alexander: I refer my hon. Friend to the statement my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made to the House on the EU constitutional treaty on 6 June 2005, Official Report, columns 991–92.
	Article IV-444 of the constitutional treaty provides for changes to be made to the voting requirements or legislative procedure governing the articles in Part III that provide for the council to act by unanimity in a given area or case. These changes can only be made provided that member states support any such proposal unanimously, and that national parliaments have not registered their opposition. Article IV-444 would apply in respect of the changes envisaged in Articles III-422.1, III-234, III-269.3, III-210.3, and III-300.3.
	Clause 2 of the EU Bill, as introduced to the House of Commons on 24 May. Proposes a mechanism by which the UK Parliament will be able to approve or oppose any proposed change under Article IV-444. Under clause 2, the House of Lords will be given 20 days to provide an opinion on any proposal, after which the House of Commons will debate whether or not to approve the proposal. This mechanism is designed to ensure that the elected chamber has the final judgement on any proposal, but that the view of the House of Lords is able to inform the debate in the Commons.
	The legislative procedure governing Articles 1–40.7 and 1–55.4 can only move to qualified majority voting if this is agreed unanimously by all the member states. Clause 2 does not apply to these Articles.

European Constitution

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the operation of articles (a) III-422.1, (b) III-234, (c) III-269.3, (d) I-55.4, (e) III-210.3, (f) I-40.7 and (g) III-300.3 of the treaty establishing a constitution for Europe.

Douglas Alexander: I refer my hon. Friend to the statement my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made to the House on the EU constitutional treaty on 6 June 2005, Official Report, columns 991–92.
	The operation of the articles in question is explained in the commentary on the EU constitutional treaty published on 26 January (Cm. 6459).

European Constitution

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what budget has been set for informing the public about the EU, including the proposed EU constitutional treaty, for financial year 2005–06, broken down by category of activity.

Douglas Alexander: I refer my hon. Friend to the statement my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made to the House on the EU constitutional treaty on 6 June 2005, Official Report, columns 991–92.
	No final decisions have yet been made on general communication activities on the EU and the EU constitutional treaty for financial year 2005–6. There is a separate budget of £200,000 for financial year 2005–06 for communicating the UK presidency of the EU to the British public.

European Constitution

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to decide whether to distribute the treaty establishing a constitution for Europe to every household in advance of the referendum on UK ratification.

Douglas Alexander: I refer my hon. Friend to the statement my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made to the House on the EU constitutional treaty on 6 June 2005, Official Report, columns 991–92.
	No final decisions have yet been made on communication activities on the EU constitutional treaty for financial year 2005–06.

Malaysia

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the human rights compliance of the (a) immigration and (b) labour policies of Malaysia.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 8 June 2005
	Aspects of the Malaysian Government's recent efforts to curb large-scale illegal immigration, which has had a direct and negative impact on the Malaysian labour market, have given rise to potential human rights concerns. EU Missions in Malaysia are monitoring the situation and have supported the efforts of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to minimise the impact of Malaysia's immigration policies on vulnerable groups. Following assurances from the Malaysian Government, EU Missions and UNHCR have agreed to delay making further representations to see if these assurances will be honoured. Conditions for refugees in detention centres remain a cause for concern, but the Malaysian Government is currently considering recommendations for improvements made by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia. The British high commissioner in Kuala Lumpur continues to take appropriate opportunities to address human rights issues with the Malaysian Government, and will continue to monitor the situation closely.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Cleaning Machines

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many street cleaning machines were used by each London borough in the last year for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Prime Minister does not hold this information.

Community Warden Schemes

Anthony Steen: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list local authorities that run a community warden scheme; how many wardens are employed by each local authority; and which local authority wardens have received accreditation from the area chief constable under powers provided by the Police Reform Act 2002.

Phil Woolas: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has provided 142 local authorities with pilot funding for 207 neighbourhood warden schemes, a list of how many wardens this has funded is as follows. We do not hold information on how many wardens schemes are accredited under the community safety accreditation scheme.
	
		
			  Total number of: 
			 Local authority Schemes Wardens 
		
		
			 Allerdale DC 4 32 
			 Amber Valley BC 5 28 
			 Avon and Somerset DC 2 7 
			 Barnsley MBC 3 25 
			 Bedford BC 3 31 
			 Birmingham city council 2 20 
			 Blackpool DC 2 21 
			 Bolton MBC 3 31 
			 Boston BC 3 24 
			 Bradford CC 3 26 
			 Bristol CC 3 23 
			 Burnley BC 2 15 
			 Bury MBC 3 20 
			 Caerphilly CC 2 14 
			 Calderdale CC 2 12 
			 Cambridge CC 4 26 
			 Cannock Chase DC 4 23 
			 Canterbury CC 3 14 
			 Charnwood BC 2 17 
			 Cherwell DC 1 14 
			 Chester CC 1 12 
			 City of Swansea 2 15 
			 Colchester BC 1 11 
			 Congleton BC 2 20 
			 Cornwall MBC 1 10 
			 Coventry city council 1 10 
			 Dacorum BC 1 10 
			 Darlington CC 1 10 
			 Dartford BC 1 9 
			 Derby BC 1 9 
			 District of Bolsover 2 11 
			 Doncaster MBC 2 16 
			 Easington DC 1 8 
			 Eastbourne BC 1 8 
			 Exeter CC 1 8 
			 Gateshead MBC 1 7 
			 Gosport BC 1 7 
			 Great Yarmouth CC 1 7 
			 Guildford BC 3 10 
			 Gwynedd CC 2 13 
			 Hastings BC 2 7 
			 Horsham DC 2 20 
			 Hull City Council 1 6 
			 Huntingdonshire DC 1 6 
			 Ipswich BC 1 6 
			 Kerrier CC 2 10 
			 Kirklees BC 2 8 
			 Knowle West MBC 2 7 
			 Knowsley BC 2 8 
			 Lancaster City Council 1 5 
			 London Borough of Barking and  Dagenham 1 5 
			 London Borough of Barnet 1 5 
			 London Borough of Basildon 1 5 
			 London Borough of Brent 1 5 
			 London Borough of Camden 1 5 
			 London Borough of Croydon 1 5 
			 London Borough of Ealing 2 6 
			 London Borough of Greenwich 2 6 
			 London Borough of Hackney 1 4 
			 London Borough of Hackney 1 4 
			 London Borough of Hammersmith and  Fulham 1 4 
			 London Borough of Haringey 1 4 
			 London Borough of Harrow 1 4 
			 London Borough of Hillingdon 1 4 
			 London Borough of Hounslow 1 4 
			 London Borough of Islington 2 7 
			 London Borough of Lewisham 2 11 
			 London Borough of Merton 1 3 
			 London Borough of Newham 1 3 
			 London Borough of Redbridge 1 3 
			 London Borough of Southwark 2 10 
			 London Borough of Streatham 1 2 
			 London Borough of Tower Hamlets 1 2 
			 London Borough of Walthamstow 1 2 
			 London Borough of Wandsworth 1 2 
			 London Borough of Westminster 1 2 
			 London Borough of Havering 1 2 
			 Leeds City Council 1 2 
			 Leicester City Council 1 2 
			 Lincolnshire DC 1 1 
			 Liverpool City Council 1 1 
			 Luton BC 1 10 
			 Macclesfield DC 1 3 
			 Malvern Hills DC 1 8 
			 Manchester MBC 1 4 
			 Mansfield DC 5 41 
			 Merthyr Tydfil County BC 3 25 
			 Middlesbrough BC 2 10 
			 Milton Keynes Council 2 18 
			 Newark and Sherwood DC 2 9 
			 Newcastle CC 2 19 
			 North Tyneside DC 1 8 
			 Northumberland CC 1 9 
			 Norwich City Council 1 12 
			 Nottingham City Council 1 8 
			 Oldham BC 1 14 
			 Oxford DC 1 12 
			 Peterborough BC 1 12 
			 Portsmouth City Council 1 10 
			 Preston DC 1 10 
			 Reading BC 1 10 
			 Redcar and Cleveland DC 1 10 
			 Rotherham BC 1 10 
			 Royal borough of Kingston 1 12 
			 Salford City Council 2 6 
			 Sandwell MBC 1 4 
			 Sedgefield DC 1 12 
			 Sevenoaks DC 1 3 
			 Sheffield CC 1 3 
			 Slough BC 1 7 
			 Solihull MBC 1 2 
			 South Gloucestershire CC 1 1 
			 South Kesteven CC 1 3 
			 South Manchester 1 3 
			 South Tyneside Council 1 4 
			 Stevenage Borough Council 1 1 
			 Stockport MBC 1 1 
			 Stockton DC 1 2 
			 Stoke on Trent City Council 1 6 
			 Sunderland BC 1 3 
			 Sutton DC 1 8 
			 Swindon BC 1 4 
			 Tameside MBC 1 6 
			 Tamworth BC 1 11 
			 Test Valley BC 1 6 
			 Thanet CC 1 1 
			 Thurrock Council 1 1 
			 Torbay CC 1 10 
			 Trafford MBC 1 6 
			 Vale of White Horse DC 1 4 
			 Vale Royal BC 1 8 
			 Wakefield DC 1 1 
			 Walsall MBC 1 8 
			 Wealdon DC 1 9 
			 Wear Valley DC 1 5 
			 Welwyn Hatfield DC 1 3 
			 West Bromwich BC 1 4 
			 West Lancashire DC 1 4 
			 Wigan BC 1 4 
			 Wirral DC 1 10 
			 Wolverhampton MBC 1 4 
			 Wyre Forest DC 1 2 
			 Total 207 1306

Consultants

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which consultants have been employed by his Department in each of the last three years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was formed in May 2002. For the period 2002 to 2004 information concerning the names of consultancy firms has not been held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. For the period 2004–05 this information is available and a list of the consultancies by name is as follows.
	Consultancies used in 2004–05
	Accenture
	Adam Continuity Ltd.
	AEA Technology
	AKRONYM
	Alpha Consolidated Training Ltd.
	Amanda Rayner Images
	AMTEC Consulting
	Ascentia
	Ask Europe Plc.
	Assessment and Development
	Consultants Ltd.
	ATIS Real Weatherall
	Atkins Management Consultants
	Badenoch and Clark
	Baker Associates
	Bray Leino Learning Development
	Soluction
	Brian Lewis Arts Consultants
	British Board of Agreement
	Bucknall Austin Ltd.
	Building Research Establishment
	Butler and Young Ltd.
	Cambridge Projects Ltd.
	Campion Willcocks and Associates Limited,
	Capita
	Capita Symonds Ltd.
	Capital Business Services Ltd.
	CB Richard Ellis
	CC(Computer) Consultants) Ltd.
	CGEY
	CgMs Ltd.
	Cheshire County Council
	Christina Stone
	Cimtech Limited
	Circle 33 Homeless Trust
	Computer People
	Cornwell Management Consultant
	County Hall, Truro
	David Cumberland Associates
	Davis Langdon
	DBI Consulting
	Denton Wilde Sapte
	Donaldsons
	Doncaster MBC, St. James Court, Milton Walk, Doncaster, DN1 3QL
	Dr. Giles Biddle
	Drivers Jonas
	DTZ
	Eamonn Barclay Consulting
	EC Harris
	Edmund Kirby
	EJIC
	Electronic Commerce Associates Ltd.
	Eliesha Training Ltd.
	Emmerson Consulting Limited
	Energy Auditing Agency
	Epic Group Plc.
	ESR (UK) Ltd.
	EthoS Management Ltd.
	Eunice Heaney
	FBE Management Ltd.
	Gardiner and Theobald LLP
	Generic Software consultants
	Geofutures Ltd.
	Gerald Eve
	GLAD
	Goodband Viner Taylor
	Greater London Authority
	Greg Clark
	GVA Grimley
	HACK
	Harries Associates
	HEDRA
	HeriodWatt University School of Built Environment
	Housing Audit (Bob Lawrence)
	Housing Diversity Services Ltd.
	Informed Solutions
	Interculture
	Joint Centre for Scottish Housing Research
	Kaleidoscope
	Ken Baublys
	KPMG
	LA International Computer Consultance Ltd.
	Lambert Smith Hampton
	Living Over the Shop
	Mann Weaver Drew
	Mantix Ltd.
	Martin Benham
	Mary Gavin
	MATRIX
	McLane UK Ltd.
	MDA
	Metaskii
	Methods
	Michael Page
	Milburn Trinnaman La Court
	Mott Macdonald
	Mouchel Parkman
	Mr. Alan Engley
	Mr. Brian Crane
	Mr. David Houldershaw
	Mr. David Thorman
	Mr. Ian Murat
	Mr. Jim Quaife
	Mr. Jim Unwin
	Mr. Jon Cocking
	Mr. Jonathan Fulcher
	Mr. Keith Rushforth
	Mr. Mick Boddy
	Mr. Simon Pryce
	National Stone Centre
	National Youth Agency
	Nesco Group
	NHF
	Norfork County Council
	North Face Ltd.
	Northampton PCT
	Northumberland County Council
	Odgers Ray and Berndtson
	OGC, Rosbury Court
	OGC/SACS, Accounting Services
	OPM
	Ordnance Survey
	Ospray Mott Macdonald
	Ottaway Strategic Management
	PA Consulting
	Parker Bridge
	Paul Davies
	Peam Kandola
	Peter Pendleton and Associates
	PKF
	PricewaterhouseCoopers
	Proof Positive
	Ridge and Partners
	RMC Consultancy
	Robert Walters
	Russells Consultancy
	Salford Council, Turnpike House, 631 Elles Road, Salford, M501SW
	Scientia
	Scott Wilson
	Security and Standards Ltd.
	SERCO
	Share Intelligence
	South East England Regional Assembly
	Southwark, Shatelaine House, 186 Woolworth Road, London, SE17 1JJ
	Starfish/Secta
	Step Ahead Research Ltd.
	Stephen F. Clarke
	Sustainable Development Commission
	Synergy Research and Consulting Ltd.
	System Evolutif Ltd.
	The Faraday Partnership
	Three Dragon (LC) Ltd.
	Tony Dallas
	Tower and Hamlins
	TQM
	Tribal HCH
	Turner and Townsend
	Umbrella Ltd.
	University College of London (UCL)
	University of Bristol
	University of Leeds
	University of Reading in association with Ove Arup and Partners
	University of West England
	VOA, Financial Operation Unit
	W B Gumy and Sons
	Waltham Forest, Willow House, 869 Forest Road, Walthamstow, London, E17 4UH
	Warwich Research
	Watts and Partners
	WS Atkins
	Xansa
	Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority

Environmental Health Officers (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many inspections were carried out by environmental health officers on food providers in each London borough in the last 12 months.

Caroline Flint: I have been asked to reply. 
	The information is not available for the period requested. Such information that is available is shown in the table.
	
		Number of food hygiene inspections to food premises reported by local authorities to the Food Standards Agency for the period 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2003(20)
		
			 London borough Number 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 863 
			 Barnet 1,746 
			 Bexley 965 
			 Brent 1,800 
			 Bromley 1,865 
			 Camden 2,508 
			 City of London 1,718 
			 Croydon 1,770 
			 Ealing 1,872 
			 Enfield 1,837 
			 Greenwich(21) 331 
			 Hackney 902 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,785 
			 Haringey 2,427 
			 Harrow 819 
			 Havering 1,193 
			 Hillingdon 1,383 
			 Hounslow 1,141 
			 Islington 1,588 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1,900 
			 Kingston-Upon-Thames 718 
			 Lambeth 1,617 
			 Lewisham 1,791 
			 Merton 1,065 
			 Newham 1,761 
			 Redbridge 1,411 
			 Richmond-Upon-Thames 935 
			 Southwark 2,156 
			 Sutton 1,342 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,730 
			 Waltham Forest 1,114 
			 Wandsworth 2,141 
			 Westminster 3,594 
		
	
	(20) Source:
	Food Standards Agency—Official Control Directive database. Data excludes inspections to vessels.
	(21) London borough of Greenwich submitted partial data for the period 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2003.

Fire Service

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the Government will announce the location of the regional fire control rooms.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stafford (Mr. Kidney) on 6 June 2005, Official Report, column 411W.

Fire Service

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many fire engines were (a) stolen, (b) lost and (c) vandalised in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is not available centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

High Hedges

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much each local authority in England plans to charge individuals to investigate high hedges complaints under the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003.

Yvette Cooper: This information is not collected centrally. Of the sample local authorities who have provided information to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the majority are setting fees within a range of £300-£400.

Housing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people in Coventry South he estimates will benefit from his Department's extended home ownership programme.

Yvette Cooper: It is not possible to estimate at the moment how many people in Coventry South will benefit from the Government's proposals for low cost home ownership. The West Midlands Region has been allocated £379 million of funding for housing for the two years 2006–08 and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently awaiting Regional Housing Board recommendations as to how and where this should be invested. Once priorities for investment have been established, housing providers will be invited to bid for funding. The number of people in Coventry South who will benefit will depend on which bids are successful. In addition, the Government is currently consulting on details of social homebuy which will enable social tenants to buy a part share in their home.

Housing

Tim Loughton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what research his Department has carried out to examine the environmental impact and sustainability of the house building programme in Sussex.

Yvette Cooper: Research needed to underpin the Sustainability Appraisal of the Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East, which will assess the environmental impact of the future level and distribution of house building in South East England is, in the first instance, the responsibility of the South East England regional assembly, with assistance from the county councils.

Housing

Brian Iddon: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the amount of Housing Corporation Approved Development Programme funding and Challenge Fund spent on (a) mixed funded social rented housing, (b) temporary social rented housing, (c) homebuy general market purchase, (d) homebuy general new build, (e) mixed funded low cost home ownership for sale, (f) miscellaneous works to RSL stock, (g) reimprovements to rented RSL stock, (h) works only rehabilitation of rented RSL stock, (i) works only rehabilitation of RSL stock for sale, (j) intermediate rent for key workers, (k) homebuy market purchase for key workers, (l) homebuy new build for key workers and (m) mixed funded sale for key workers in the north west region in each year since 1997–98.

Yvette Cooper: The following table shows funding through the Housing Corporation Approved Development Programme in the north west region for the categories (a) to (i) . The information in the table does not include all programmes that the ADP is used for and therefore does not represent the total funding for the north west region. Other categories with funding during the time period covered by the table are right to acquire, voluntary purchase grant, do-it-yourself shared ownership, and temporary intermediate and market rent housing.
	The Key Worker Living programme is limited to London and the wider south east, therefore there is no investment in categories (j) to (m) in the north west through this programme.
	The Challenge Fund was limited to London, south east and eastern regions, therefore there is no Challenge Fund expenditure in the north west.
	
		Expenditure for the north west region from 1997–98 to 2004–05
		
			 £ million 
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 
		
		
			 (a) Mixed funded social rent 60.85 63.36 74.22 62.22 
			 (b) Temporary social housing 2.73 0.39 1.37 1.20 
			 (c) Homebuy market purchase 0.00 0.00 0.15 0.51 
			 (d) Homebuy new build n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 (e) Mixed-funded low cost home ownership 8.04 6.60 7.58 6.02 
			 (f) Miscellaneous works 7.77 4.71 3.28 2.85 
			 (g) Re-improvements to rented RSL stock 0.00 0.00 0.72 1.17 
			 (h) Works-only re-hab for rented RSL stock 0.00 0.00 0.09 0.13 
			 (i) Works only re-hab of RSL stock for sale 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
		
	
	
		
			 £ million 
			  2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 (a) Mixed funded social rent 79.13 89.27 85.52 84.38 
			 (b) Temporary social housing 1.13 0.64 0.24 0.84 
			 (c) Homebuy market purchase 0.16 0.12 0.07 0.34 
			 (d) Homebuy new build n/a n/a n/a 0.00 
			 (e) Mixed-funded low cost home ownership 8.81 8.04 9.55 12.08 
			 (f) Miscellaneous works 3.50 5.54 5.42 3.62 
			 (g) Re-improvements to rented RSL stock 1.86 3.94 3.82 3.54 
			 (h) Works-only re-hab for rented RSL stock 0.34 2.50 1.95 2.74 
			 (i) Works only re-hab of RSL stock for sale 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.32 
		
	
	Note:
	Categories (g), (h), and (i) are included in miscellaneous works (f) for years 1997–98 and 1998–99.

Housing

Brian Iddon: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many affordable housing units built or procured through the Housing Corporation Approved Development Programme and Challenge Fund were (a) mixed funded social rented housing, (b) temporary social rented housing, (c) homebuy general market purchase, (d) homebuy general new build, (e) mixed funded low cost home ownership for sale, (f) miscellaneous works to RSL stock, (g) reimprovements to rented RSL stock, (h) works only rehabilitation of rented RSL stock, (i) works only rehabilitation of RSL stock for sale, (j) intermediate rent for key workers, (k) homebuy market purchase for key workers, (l) homebuy new build for key workers and (m) mixed funded sale for key workers in the north west region in each year since 1997–98.

Yvette Cooper: The following table shows completions through the Housing Corporation Approved Development Programme in the north west region for the categories (a) to (i) . The information in the table does not include all programmes that the ADP is used for, and therefore does not represent the total completions for the region. Other categories with completions during the time period covered by the table are right to acquire, voluntary purchase grant, do-it-yourself shared ownership, and temporary intermediate and market rent housing.
	The Key Worker Living programme is limited to London and the wider South East, therefore there is no investment in categories (j) to (m) in the north west through this programme.
	The Challenge Fund was limited to London, South East and Eastern regions, therefore there are no Challenge Fund completions recorded for the north west.
	
		Completions for the north west region from 1997–98 to 2004–05
		
			  Units completed 
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 
		
		
			 (a) Mixed funded Social Rent 2,932 3,191 2,724 2,580 
			 (b) Temporary Social Rented Housing 253 222 123 48 
			 (c) Homebuy market purchase 0 0 0 33 
			 (d) Homebuy New Build n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 (e) Mixed-funded Low Cost Home Ownership 552 676 428 395 
			 (f) Miscellaneous Works n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 (9) Re-improvements to rented RSL stock n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 (h) Works-only re-hab for rented RSL stock n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 (i) Works only re-hab of RSL stock for sale n/a n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	
		
			  Units completed 
			  2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 (a) Mixed funded Social Rent 2,664 2,416 1,502 1,437 
			 (b) Temporary Social Rented Housing 63 15 10 12 
			 (c) Homebuy market purchase 9 6 4 12 
			 (d) Homebuy New Build n/a n/a n/a 0 
			 (e) Mixed-funded Low Cost Home Ownership 436 383 355 424 
			 (f) Miscellaneous Works n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 (9) Re-improvements to rented RSL stock n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 (h) Works-only re-hab for rented RSL stock n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 (i) Works only re-hab of RSL stock for sale n/a n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	Note:
	Categories (f), (g), (h), and (i) do not have complete records of units

Housing

Nick Hurd: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which of the sites released for new housing under the proposals announced on 25 May are in (a) Greater London and (b) the constituency of Ruislip-Northwood; and which of the latter are on green belt land.

Yvette Cooper: The announcement by my right hon. Friends the Deputy Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer on 25 May referred to 700 sites currently entered on the register of surplus public sector land which is maintained by English Partnerships. The sites' owners and English Partnerships are currently reviewing all registered sites to assess their development potential. A list of the sites, as at March 2005, can be found on the English Partnerships website at: http://www.englishpartnerships.co.uk/images/16EE954C9Q4340DDAB44702EF5D2ADE6.pdf
	51 sites on the Register as at March 2005 are situated in the Greater London area. One British Railways Boards (Residuary) Ltd. site at Harefield in the London borough of Hillingdon is located in Ruislip-Northwood. This site is classified as green belt land. An updated list of register sites will be published by English Partnerships towards the end of June 2005.
	In addition, it was announced on 1 April that a portfolio of nearly one hundred ex-NHS sites, would be transferred from the Department of Health to English Partnerships. The first tranche of 67 sites transferred on 6 April. Work is ongoing with partners and local authorities to assess each site to identify how they can contribute to local housing and employment needs. It is estimated that the total portfolio of 96 sites could accommodate up to 15,000 new homes nationally, with at least 5,000 being affordable. This estimate is subject to planning permission for the individual sites, and residential development will not be appropriate on all of the sites.

Housing

John Hemming: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of the development he has planned for the South East is on flood plains.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister wish to see a reduction in the amount of inappropriate new development in flood risk areas. Local authorities should steer development away from areas at highest risk of flooding when allocating land in plans, and where development does proceed local authorities should ensure it is subject to appropriate precautionary measures. The susceptibility of land to flooding is a material consideration in determining planning applications. Policies are set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 25: "Development and Flood Risk".
	The Environment Agency is monitoring data on land allocations made by local authorities in their plans for development inside and outside areas designated at risk of flooding in the South East. The latest figures are reported in the Environment Agency's State of the Environment 2004 report for the South East region and are likely to be updated as part of the next State of the Environment report.

Housing Officers (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many housing officers were employed by each London borough per 1,000 population in the last year for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Leisure Facilities (Brent)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment the Audit Commission has made of leisure facilities in Brent.

Phil Woolas: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission. I will ask the chief executive to write to the hon. Member and to ensure the answer is made available in the Library the House.

Libraries

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many public libraries are maintained by each London borough per 1,000 population; and what the total number of public libraries run by local authorities in London was in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The figures for each borough, and the total number of libraries run by local authorities in London in each year since 1997 are set out as follows:
	
		Number of libraries in London 1997–2004
		
			  Static libraries Mobile libraries Total 
		
		
			 1997 368 37 405 
			 1998 370 36 406 
			 1999 371 34 405 
			 2000 369 33 402 
			 2001 364 33 397 
			 2002 363 32 397 
			 2003 361 30 391 
			 2004 365 30 395 
		
	
	
		Number of public libraries per 1,000 population in each London borough(22)
		
			 Borough Number of libraries Borough population Libraries per 1,000 people People per library 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 11 163,944 0.067 14,904 
			 Barnet 17 314,564 0.054 18,503 
			 Bexley 13 218,307 0.059 16,792 
			 Brent 13 263,464 0.049 20,266 
			 Bromley 18 295,532 0.060 16,418 
			 Camden 13 198,020 0.065 15,232 
			 City of London 5 7,185 0.692 1,437 
			 Croydon 14 330,587 0.042 23,613 
			 Ealing 12 300,948 0.039 25,079 
			 Enfield 14 273,559 0.051 19,539 
			 Greenwich 14 214,403 0.065 15,314 
			 Hackney 7 202,824 0.034 28,974 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 6 165,242 0.036 27,540 
			 Haringey 9 216,507 0.041 24,056 
			 Harrow 11 206,814 0.053 18,801 
			 Havering 10 224,248 0.044 22,424 
			 Hillingdon 17 243,006 0.069 14,294 
			 Hounslow 11 212,341 0.051 19,303 
			 Islington 12 175,797 0.068 14,649 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 6 158,919 0.037 26,486 
			 Kingston Upon Thames 8 147,273 0.054 18,409 
			 Lambeth 9 266,169 0.033 29,574 
			 Lewisham 13 248,922 0.052 19,147 
			 Merton 7 187,908 0.037 26,844 
			 Newham 12 243,891 0.049 20,324 
			 Redbridge 10 238,635 0.041 23,863 
			 Richmond upon Thames 13 172,335 0.075 13,256 
			 Southwark 14 244,866 0.057 17,490 
			 Sutton 9 179,768 0.058 19,974 
			 Tower Hamlets 10 196,106 0.050 19,610 
			 Waltham Forest 12 218,341 0.054 18,195 
			 Wandsworth 12 260,380 0.046 21,698 
			 Westminster 12 181,286 0.066 15,107 
		
	
	(22) These figures do not include mobile libraries.

Litter

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many local authority maintained litterbins there were in each London borough in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not hold this information.

Local Government (Advice Services)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much was spent by each local authority on (a) in-house and (b) independent advice services in each year since 1997.

Phil Woolas: This information is not centrally available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Overcrowding

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to change the statutory definition of overcrowding.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is considering the future of the statutory overcrowding standards and plans to publish a consultation paper in the near future.

Planning (Prosecutions)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people were prosecuted for planning irregularities in each London borough in the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Public Sector Land

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the (a) size and (b) value was of the surplus brownfield public sector-owned land in England in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by local authority.

Yvette Cooper: Information from the National Land Use Database of Previously-Developed Land (NLUD-PDL) on the amounts of vacant or derelict land owned by local authorities and by other public sector bodies has been made available in the Library of the House. The information relates to 31 March 2004 except for a small number of local authorities where it is for an earlier year. Information on the value of the land is not available.
	The Government also maintains a separate Register of Surplus Land held by central departments and their sponsored bodies, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. This is likely to cover some of the same land recorded as vacant by NLUD-PDL. At March 2005 the Register held 713 sites covering just under 3,600 hectares. The Register does not currently distinguish between brownfield and greenfield sites.

Public Toilets

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many local authority maintained public toilets there were in each London borough in each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is only held by each individual local authority and there is no national central repository detailing up-to-date data of this kind. Up until 2001 the Audit Commission carried out comprehensive surveys, looking at public toilet numbers, but the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister understands that this has now ceased.

Supporting People Programme

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many units of housing support have been provided in each year of the supporting people programme; and how many units are projected to be provided for subsequent years.

Phil Woolas: In 2003–04 there were a total of 1,232,889 household units; information for 2004–05 is not currently available. However, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister now gathers data from administering authorities through the supporting people local systems, every quarter. This exercise will provide details of the number of household units for 2004–05 onwards.
	Administering authorities are responsible for commissioning local services; therefore, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is unable to project future service levels.

TREASURY

Alcohol-related Deaths (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many alcohol-related deaths there were in each London borough in each year since 1997.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Sarah Teather, dated 9 June 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many alcohol-related deaths there were in each London borough in each year since 1997. (2502)
	The latest year for which figures are available is 2004. The table below shows the numbers of deaths among residents of London boroughs where the underlying cause of death indicated a condition directly related to alcohol use in the years 1997 to 2004.
	
		Alcohol-related deaths(23) to usual residents of London boroughs, registered 1997 to 2004
		
			 London borough 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 City of London — — 1 1 — 1 2 — 
			 Barking and Dagenham 12 16 23 14 18 19 17 15 
			 Barnet 19 18 17 22 29 23 32 18 
			 Bexley 16 22 20 26 25 27 27 16 
			 Brent 33 40 40 32 30 40 25 33 
			 Bromley 21 24 24 30 27 26 21 30 
			 Camden 40 37 41 28 44 35 27 27 
			 Croydon 32 30 43 34 33 28 43 23 
			 Ealing 33 28 34 31 37 38 44 39 
			 Enfield 17 19 25 22 13 21 28 26 
			 Greenwich 20 29 31 32 29 25 25 26 
			 Hackney 13 21 27 16 19 21 25 29 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 20 30 23 25 26 24 25 35 
			 Haringey 27 13 23 23 21 20 19 25 
			 Harrow 23 20 20 13 14 17 16 22 
			 Havering 17 13 14 9 14 24 19 18 
			 Hillingdon 34 25 23 16 26 27 30 43 
			 Hounslow 18 38 29 31 29 32 46 28 
			 Islington 25 36 22 25 32 26 22 13 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 16 16 20 28 16 21 14 13 
			 Kingston upon Thames 11 18 18 14 24 19 16 13 
			 Lambeth 33 41 35 40 32 28 34 33 
			 Lewisham 32 28 30 24 29 41 32 32 
			 Merton 18 23 18 22 19 22 21 13 
			 Newham 28 19 33 29 28 33 32 36 
			 Redbridge 27 19 24 26 16 24 16 21 
			 Richmond upon Thames 16 17 19 17 15 29 29 23 
			 Southwark 35 28 28 37 40 31 35 28 
			 Sutton 11 10 21 18 10 17 9 12 
			 Tower Hamlets 23 22 27 30 18 25 26 20 
			 Waltham Forest 15 21 12 21 21 18 19 16 
			 Wandsworth 28 29 31 32 41 24 30 21 
			 Westminster 34 38 33 38 34 32 28 25 
		
	
	(23) For the years 1999–2000 the cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9). The codes used by ONS to define alcohol-related deaths are listed as follows:
	291—Alcoholic psychoses
	303—Alcohol dependence syndrome
	305.0—Non-dependent abuse of alcohol
	425.5—Alcoholic cardiomyopathy
	571—Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis
	E860—Accidental poisoning by alcohol
	For the years 2001–2004 the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) was used. To maintain comparability with earlier years the following codes were used:
	F10—Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol
	142.6—Alcoholic cardiomyopathy
	K70—Alcoholic liver disease
	K73—Chronic hepatitis, not elsewhere classified
	K74—Fibrosis and cirrhosis of liver
	X45—Accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol
	The selection of codes to define alcohol-related deaths is described in: Baker A and Rooney C (2003). Recent trends in alcohol-related mortality, and the impact of ICD-10 on the monitoring of these deaths in England and Wales. Health Statistics Quarterly 17, pp 5–14.

Canal Barges (Red Diesel)

John Pugh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely impact of changes in the taxation of red diesel on (a) owners and (b) users of canal barges.

John Healey: The Chancellor takes account of all relevant economic, social and environmental factors for all sectors, including barge owners and users, in determining duty rates.
	Private boat owners in Britain are permitted to use red diesel under a derogation of the European energy products directive, which is due to expire at the end of 2006. Officials from HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs are discussing this issue with boating associations.

Child Trust Fund Vouchers

Annette Brooke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many parents and carers who received Child Trust Fund vouchers by 30 April have set up relevant savings accounts with them;
	(2)  how many parents and carers have been issued with Child Trust Fund vouchers; and what the total value is of the vouchers issued up to 30 April.

Ivan Lewis: On the number of vouchers issued and accounts opened, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 6 June 2005, Official Report, columns 286–87W.
	The total value of vouchers issued up to 30 April 2005 was about £452 million.

Consultants

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which consultants have been employed by his Department in each of the last three years.

John Healey: A list of the individuals and firms hired on a consultancy basis by the Treasury in 2002–03, 2003–04 and 2004–05 has been placed in the Library of the House.

G8 Summit

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the costs of policing the G8 summit in Perthshire;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the additional costs to policing of the G8 summit across Scotland.

Des Browne: Policing arrangements for the G8 summit are a devolved responsibility of the Scottish Executive and its police authorities.

G8 Summit

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the costs will be to his Department of policing the G8 summit.

Des Browne: The Government have agreed to provide £20 million towards the policing costs of the G8 summit.

Home Ownership

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the basis is of the Government's target of creating 1 million more homeowners by 2010.

John Healey: The Government expect 1 million people to enter home-ownership over the next five years as a result of the strong and stable macro-economic conditions that it has created and sustained with interest rates close to historically low levels; unemployment close a record low; employment rising in every region; and uninterrupted economic growth.
	This growth in homeownership will be supported by the measures set out in the Deputy Prime Minister's five-year plan "Homes for All" which will assist up to 110,000 households to become first-time buyers.

Income Tax

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost in (a) 2005–06 and (b) 2006–07 of removing from income tax liability the first £10,000 of income; and how many people he estimates this would remove from income tax liability.

Ivan Lewis: The information is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Cost of removing from income tax liability the first £10,000 of income (£ billion) Number of people removed from income tax liability (Thousand) 
		
		
			 2005–06 29,8 7,010 
			 2006–07 29,6 6,640 
		
	
	These estimates have been obtained after increasing all personal allowances (i.e. the personal allowances and personal allowances for individuals aged 65 and above) to £10,000.
	There would be no savings from lower tax credits since tax credit entitlement is based on gross income.
	The personal allowance is currently linked to the Primary and Secondary Class 1 National Insurance contributions thresholds and the Class 4 Lower Profits Limit. No cost has been included to increase these thresholds in line with the personal allowance.
	The income tax information is based upon the 2002–03 Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) projected forward.
	The figures exclude any estimate of behavioural response to the tax change, which could be significant given the scale of the changes.

MG Rover

James Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance has been given to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs in respect of deferment of VAT payments by companies suffering losses as a result of MG Rover going into administration; what guidelines are in operation on this; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) continue to treat businesses affected by the administration of MG Rover as sensitively as they usually do in such circumstances. Their approach to revenue debt is not only to secure the revenue but to provide flexible assistance to help viable businesses survive short term financial problems and restructuring. Within the legislation governing VAT and PAYE, deferred payment arrangements are made available on a case-by-case basis within HMRC's usual remit. Guidance has been published on HMRC's internet site about debt management issues, with particular reference to the administration of MG Rover.

Public Procurement Directive

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether Article 45 of the new EU Public Procurement Directive 2004/18/EC applies only to EU companies tendering for public procurement projects in the EU;
	(2)  what steps the Office of Government Commerce has taken to establish information-sharing mechanisms with (a) local authorities and (b) Government Departments in (i) the UK and (ii) the EU on convictions held by UK companies for corruption, fraud, money laundering and criminal investigation;
	(3)  what steps the Office of Government Commerce has taken to establish an agreed contact point for advice on blacklisting companies in public procurement for (a) local authorities, (b) Government departments and (c) companies;
	(4)  if he will place a copy of the record of discussions held between the Office of Government Commerce and the Home Office's Criminal Investigation Bureau about implementation of Article 45 of the new EU Procurement Directive 2004/18/EC in the Library;
	(5)  what steps the Office of Government Commerce has taken to establish a national list of compulsorily disqualified contractors in relation to the EU Procurement Directive 2004/18/EC;
	(6)  what sanctions will be applicable under the EU Public Procurement Directive 2004/18/EC to those companies that fail to alert contracting authorities to convictions held for corruption, fraud, money laundering and criminal organisations.

John Healey: Article 45 of the new ED public procurement Directive (2004/18/EC) will apply to the award of all public contracts for goods, works and services which are covered by that Directive. The Directive requires that candidates or tenderers shall normally be excluded where the contracting authorities are aware of relevant convictions, and that the contracting authorities may apply to a so-called competent authority in each member state to obtain further information about the convictions of the companies concerned. The Office of Government Commerce is currently considering, with the Criminal Records Bureau, how this need for information on convictions, via a competent authority, can best be implemented in the UK. This will then be reflected in guidance on Article 45, which will be published before the implementation of the new Directive. Companies which fail to notify contracting authorities about their relevant convictions, in response to questions from such authorities, should be considered for exclusion from future contracts and for breach of any terms and conditions for contracts awarded under the new Directive.

Public Procurement Directive

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many meetings the Office of Government Commerce has had with UK companies and businesses to discuss Article 45 of the new EU Public Procurement Directive 2004/18/EC since August 2004; and if he will list the companies with which he has had such meetings;
	(2)  on what date the Office of Government Commerce intends to publish its regulations and guidance on the new EU Procurement Directive 2004/18/EC for public consultation;
	(3)  if he will place a copy of all the responses to the Office of Government Commerce consultation on the new EU Procurement Directive 2004/18/EC in the Library; and how many consultees requested confidentiality for their responses.

John Healey: The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) has engaged with both the public and private sectors on the implementation of the new EU public procurement Directive, by means of the consultation exercise undertaken in 2004. This consultation included Article 45, which concerns the mandatory exclusion from public contracts of suppliers convicted of certain offences. A summary of the 255 replies to the consultation exercise, from Government Departments, local authorities, law firms, suppliers, trade unions and other interested parties, together with OGC's response to the issues raised, has already been published on the OGC website: http://www.ogc.gov.uk/embedded_object.asp?docid=1002381. The OGC will begin the second stage of consultation, on the draft Regulations to implement the new Directive, shortly. The draft Regulations take account of the responses to the earlier consultation exercise. OGC intends to publish additional guidance on specific provisions, including on Article 45, before the implementation of the new Directive. The deadline for which in all member states is 31 January 2006.

Tax (Underpayments)

Michael Spicer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was collected as a result of Inland Revenue initiatives to collect underpayments of tax of less than £100 in each of the last five years; and what the cost to the Inland Revenue of collecting underpayments of tax of less than £100 was in each year.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC have not undertaken any special initiatives to collect amounts underpaid of less than £100. Underpayments identified within Pay As You Earn (PAYE) of less than £2,000 are, where possible, collected by a restriction to the customers PAYE code for the subsequent tax year.
	HMRC do not keep specific data relating to the cost of collecting PAYE underpayments.

Unemployment (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) long-term and (b) young unemployed people there were in (i) Brent East and (ii) each London borough in each year since 1997.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Sarah Teather, dated 9 June 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about unemployment in Brent East and each London borough. (2535)
	Table 1, attached below, shows the numbers of long-term unemployed (over 12 months) and unemployed persons aged 16 to 24 in Brent East for each 12-month period ending in February each year from 1998 to 2004, the latest period for which data are available. This is based on annual local area Labour Force Survey data which as with any statistical sample survey is subject to sampling variability.
	The Office for National Statistics also compiles statistics of those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (ISA) for local areas. Table 2, attached below, shows the annual average number of ISA claimants claiming for over 12 months and the number of claimants aged 18-24 resident in Brent East for each year from 1997 to 2004.
	The data in table 2 are available free of charge from the Nomis website (www.nomisweb.co.uk) which can be accessed via the House of Commons Library.
	The information requested for each London Borough was given in an answer to a previous question (ref 212371) on 7 March 2005 (Hansard column 1517W).
	
		Table 1: Unemployed resident in Brent East constituency -- Thousand
		
			 12 months ending February Youth (aged 16–24) Over 12 months 
		
		
			 1998 (24)— n/a 
			 1999 (24)— (24)— 
			 2000 (24)— (24)— 
			 2001 2 2 
			 2002 1 (24)— 
			 2003 2 1 
			 2004 1 1 
		
	
	n/a = data not available
	1 Zero or disclosive sample size.
	Source:
	Annual local area Labour Force Survey
	
		Table 2: JSA claimants resident in the Brent East constituency
		
			 Annual averages Youth claimants (aged 18–24)(24) All claimants for  over 12 months(24) 
		
		
			 1997 965 2,070 
			 1998 775 1,415 
			 1999 615 1,075 
			 2000 495 865 
			 2001 460 670 
			 2002 600 750 
			 2003 620 910 
			 2004 650 985 
		
	
	(24) Computerised claims only.
	Source:
	Jobcentre Plus Administrative system

VAT (Charities)

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the revenue from VAT received from UK charities in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Ivan Lewis: HM Revenue and Customs do not collect data on VAT from individual goods and services. The amount of VAT received from UK charities is therefore unavailable.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Absence (Secondary Schools)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps is the Government taking to lower the rate of unauthorised absences in secondary schools.

Jacqui Smith: We are concerned about all forms of absence from school and have made raising attendance our priority. Attendance levels have risen for the last three years and in 2003–04 stood at a record high of 93.4 per cent. We continue to work with parents, schools and local authorities to improve attendance.
	We have put in place a range of measures such as extra support for schools and local authorities from expert advisers and through additional resources. In addition, we are promoting effective practice including national truancy sweeps, and practices such as first day contact with parents and e-registration systems. We have also introduced the 'Fast-track Framework' a system to ensure early identification of attendance problems and a time-limited approach to solving them.
	Another part of our strategy is to ensure parents play their part in supporting schools by ensuring that their child attends school regularly. The vast majority do so. Where parents are in need of support to fulfil their responsibilities, parenting contracts can provide them with the professional support they need and help them focus on what needs to be done to improve their child's attendance. However, where parents are not unable, but simply unwilling, to fulfil their responsibilities, they face strong measures such as penalty notices, prosecutions and compulsory Parenting Orders.
	By September 2007, we expect all secondary schools to be working together in collaborations, with funds devolved from their local authorities, to manage support and provision for persistent truants as well as those that are excluded or at risk of exclusion.

Adult Education Funding

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the funding of adult places at further education institutions is (a) discretionary for the individual institutions and (b) subject to the requirements of the priority areas agreed between her Department and the Learning and Skills Council.

Bill Rammell: The Department sets out its national priorities for post-16 learning and skills, including PSA targets, in the annual grant letter to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The LSC is responsible for planning and funding provision which meets national, regional and local needs. Individual colleges and providers agree plans with the LSC which take account of national priorities and local needs and public funding is allocated accordingly. As independent organisations, colleges continue to decide the full breadth of provision they offer for adults.

A-levels

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students in England failed one or more A level examinations in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested on the number of students failing at least one A Level, since 1999 can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 
		
		
			 Candidates 231,257 236,028 236,016 231,351 
			 Number failing at least one A  Level 59,085 57,916 55,801 52,844 
			 Percentage failing at least one A  Level 25.5 24.5 23.6 22.8 
		
	
	
		
			  2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Candidates 241,013 257,922 268,671 265,257 
			 Number failing at least one A  Level 54,577 33,418 32,274 27,598 
			 Percentage failing at least one A  Level 22.6 13.0 12.0 10.4 
		
	
	Following the "Qualifying for Success (or Curriculum 2000)" reforms a new advanced subsidiary (AS) and A2 qualification were introduced, representing the first and second halves of a traditional full A level course. These figures relate to the A2 qualifications rather than ASs.

Bullying

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the participation rates of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in her Department's anti-bullying consultations.

Jacqui Smith: The Department for Education and Skills does not hold figures on the numbers of primary and secondary schools that we involve in our anti-bullying strategies.
	However, the Make the Difference conferences which ran between November 2003 and June 2004 and celebrated and shared good practice in preventing and addressing bullying were attended by approximately 5,000 delegates, many of whom were head teachers and teachers. For the Make the Difference conferences the delegate ratio was approximately two secondary head teachers to three primary heads.
	Our recent informal consultation on countering racist bullying, and our event on this theme on 24 March, invited headteachers, teachers and LEA officers to contribute their experience of effective practice in preventing and responding to racist bullying to assist with our advice in this area.

Drug Abuse (Secondary Schools)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps the Government are taking to tackle drug abuse in English secondary schools; and if she will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The Government are committed to taking robust action to reduce significantly the numbers of young people affected by drugs. "Drugs: Guidance for Schools" (DfES 2004) outlines how schools should have in place procedures for managing drug incidents. Schools play an important part in providing drug education and pastoral support to all pupils and in identifying children and young people vulnerable to drug misuse. Those who require extra help should receive it in school or through a referral to other services. Schools should work closely with their local Drug Action Teams (DATs) to ensure that there is appropriate support in place for young people.

Every Child Matters Programme

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills for which programmes under Every Child Matters a reduction in crime rates is a specified objective.

Beverley Hughes: Every Child Matters: Change for Children is a major programme of reform for children's services. It is based around an outcomes framework against which children's services will be assessed and inspected, which includes the aims that children and young people should engage in law-abiding and positive behaviour, and be safe from crime and antisocial behaviour, both in and out of school. All programmes are expected to contribute to the outcomes framework, and children's services will work in partnership with Youth Offending Teams and other relevant agencies.
	Programmes with a specific objective for reducing crime rates include: Positive Activities for Young People, Connexions, Safer Schools Partnerships, On-Track and other Children's Fund programmes and a range of Youth Offending Team programme—particularly Youth Inclusion Programmes, Youth Inclusion and Support Panels and Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programmes. An extensive programme of work to improve behaviour and attendance in schools will have an indirect impact on reducing youth crime rates.

Exclusions and Bad Behaviour Review

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to involve hon. Members in her review of exclusions and bad behaviour.

Jacqui Smith: The new Leadership Group on behaviour will be happy to receive representations from hon. Members.
	I shall keep hon. Members informed in the usual way about any new policies emerging from the work of the Leadership Group.

Free School Meals (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils received free school meals in each London borough in each year since 1997; and how many pupils she estimates are entitled to claim free school meals.

Jacqui Smith: The requested information has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

John Kelly Schools (repairs)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the need for building repairs at John Kelly (a) girls and (b) boys schools; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The condition assessment data supplied to the Department by Brent in 2003 showed maintenance requirements for John Kelly Girls School and John Kelly Boys Schools amounting to £460,000 and £586,000 respectively, updated to current price levels. In addition to backlog repair work, the figures cover work needed over a five year period from the dates of the assessments, including cyclical and scheduled maintenance.
	Central government capital support for investment in schools has increased from under £700 million in 1996–97 to £5.5 billion this year and will rise further to £6.3 billion by 2007–08. Progress is being made year-by-year in improving the quality of the school building stock.

Leadership Incentive Grant

Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of secondary schools in (a) Birmingham, (b) Dudley, (c) Coventry, (d) Sandwell, (e) Solihull, (f) Walsall, (g) Wolverhampton, (h) Worcestershire, (i) Staffordshire, (j) Shropshire, (k) Telford and Wrekin, (l) Warwickshire and (m) Stoke-on-Trent receive the Leadership Incentive Grant.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Number of maintained mainstream secondary schools 
			 LEA Total LIG(25) Non-LIG Percentage that receive LIG(25) 
		
		
			 Birmingham 76 76 0 100 
			 Dudley 22 5 17 23 
			 Coventry 19 11 8 58 
			 Sandwell 18 18 0 100 
			 Solihull 14 4 9 29 
			 Walsall 20 9 11 45 
			 Wolverhampton 18 18 0 100 
			 Worcestershire 29 3 26 10 
			 Staffordshire 55 9 46 16 
			 Shropshire 22 4 18 18 
			 Telford and Wrekin 14 4 9 29 
			 Warwickshire 37 7 30 19 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 17 17 0 100 
		
	
	(25) Based on schools receiving LIG funding in 2004–05 and including CTCs and Academies.

Leadership Incentive Grant

Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what criteria are used to decide which schools receive the Leadership Incentive Grant; and whether she plans to change the criteria.

Jacqui Smith: Those schools eligible for funding through the Leadership Incentive Grant are as follows:
	All mainstream secondary schools in recognised priority areas of disadvantage—Excellence in Cities Areas, Excellence Clusters and Education Action Zones—(around 1,100 schools); and
	Other mainstream secondary schools with more than 35 per cent. of pupils eligible for free school meals; and
	Other mainstream secondary schools where fewer than 30 per cent. of pupils attained five GCSEs at grades A*-C in 2001 or 2002.
	There are no plans to change the criteria in the final year of Leadership Incentive Grant funding.

Looked-after Children

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of children subject to (a) fixed-term and (b) permanent exclusions in the last five years were looked-after children.

Jacqui Smith: The Department collects information on children who have been looked after for at least 12 months and have been permanently excluded from schools. The available information is given in the table.
	
		Number of children looked after at 30 September 2000 to 2004 who had been looked after for at least 12 months and have been permanently excluded from school—England
		
			  Looked-after children 
			  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Number of children looked after at 30 September who had been looked after  for at least 12 months 42,200 43,400 44,100 44,900 45,000 
			 of these:  
			 Number eligible for full-time schooling 33,100 33,800 34,500 35,100 35,300 
			   
			 Number of looked after children permanently excluded from school(26) 490 450 420 380 320 
			 Percentage of all looked after pupils eligible for full-time schooling(27) 1.5 1.3 1.2 1.1 0.9 
			   
			 Total number of permanent exclusions(28) 8,320 9,140 9,540 9,290 n/a 
			 Percentage of all permanent exclusions(29) 5.9 4.9 4.4 4.1 n/a 
		
	
	n/a—not available
	(26) If a child was permanently excluded more than once in the previous school year, each occasion has been counted.
	(27) The number of looked-after children who have been excluded from school expressed as a percentage of all looked-after children eligible for full-time schooling.
	(28) Total number of perm anent exclusions from maintained primary, secondary and all special schools. Figures are given for the previous school year.
	(29) The number of looked-after children who have been excluded from school expressed as a percentage of all permanent exclusions.
	Sources:
	OC2 and Annual Schools Census
	The Department has recently started to collect information on fixed period exclusions via the Termly Exclusions Survey. First findings from this survey for the 2003/04 academic year will be published in a Statistical First Release on 23 June 2005. However, quality checks are still ongoing to establish whether an analysis of fixed period exclusions by looked-after status will be sufficiently robust and fit for publication.

NVQ (School Catering)

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether she plans to make the vocational qualification in school catering a national vocational qualification.

Jacqui Smith: We have no current plans to do so. The Food Standards Agency and the Department commissioned People 1st (the Sector Skills Council for the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industries) to develop a vocational qualification in school catering following a study on secondary school meals. The study recommended that a basic qualification should be developed which included the basics of nutrition and which would give school cooks the knowledge and skills to deliver a healthier school meals service. People 1st consulted a number of organisations in order to produce a Training Needs Assessment report before developing the qualification. It was clear from their research that the training had to be suitable for the part-time nature of the school catering work force.
	We are currently working with People 1st, the Food Standards Agency, the Teacher Training Agency, the LSC and the QCA to review and build on the qualifications that are currently available (including full NVQs) to ensure we have a ladder of qualifications, which includes information on nutritional standards where appropriate, and will meet the skills needs of all catering staff.

NVQ (School Catering)

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what role the British Nutrition Foundation has in (a) developing the content of food and nutrition courses in schools and (b) developing the course content of the vocational qualification in school catering.

Jacqui Smith: The British Nutrition Foundation contributes to national consultations on the national curriculum. The foundation's main areas of interest and expertise relate to food and nutrition ie science, design and technology, home economics and PSHE. Their responses are published on their website www.nutrition.org.uk The foundation offered advice to the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) on suitable content for potential A-level food technology specifications several years ago, prior to the development of these new courses. More recently, they have undertaken a research project for the QCA on the extent to which current GCSE examinations help to deliver the Food Standards Agency's "Getting to Grips with Grub" competences for 14 to 16-year-olds. This report was delivered to my Department and QCA in May 2005.
	The British Nutrition Foundation has not been directly involved with the development of the vocational qualification which has been developed by People 1st (the Sector Skills Council for the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industries) in consultation with the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and my Department. People 1st consulted with the Caroline Walker Trust, the Local Authority Catering Association and a number of local authorities as part of their initial research into identifying the key issues involved in the delivery of nutrition training to school meals staff. The foundation worked closely with the FSA on the development of the publication "Catering for Health" (2001), which they took forward on behalf of the FSA and Department of Health as a basis for encouraging healthier catering practices.

Out-of-Classroom Education

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she has taken to take forward the out of classroom education manifesto; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: We held an initial scoping workshop in February with around 30 stakeholder organisations from outdoor and adventurous activities, field studies, school grounds, farming and countryside, museums and galleries, built environment, cultural and heritage, organisations where they contributed their ideas about the scope and purpose of a manifesto. We will develop this further in consultation with the very many organisations with an interest in out of classroom learning and off-site visits.

Out-of-Classroom Education

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if she will make it her policy to ensure that every school child has the opportunity to experience out-of-classroom learning in the natural environment;
	(2)  if she will issue guidance in out-of-classroom education as part of the National Curriculum;
	(3)  if she will commission research into the merits of out-of-classroom education.

Jacqui Smith: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 15 February that we will be working with partners to develop an 'Education Outside the Classroom' Manifesto. The majority of schools already offer a range of out of classroom learning that enriches the curriculum, builds confidence and increases skills. The Manifesto will set out a joint commitment that all children should have the opportunity of a wide range of high quality out of classroom learning, including at least one residential experience. It will also seek to encourage schools to partner with other schools and out of classroom learning providers and to encourage parents to take an active interest out of classroom learning. It will set out a range of advice and support, provide information and good practice guidance on health and safety issues and set out priorities for the development of out of classroom learning. We part funded the National Foundation for Educational Research to review outdoor learning research. The report was published last year and showed the benefits of out-of-classroom education. We do not intend to commission further research for this purpose.

Out-of-Classroom Education

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will discuss with the Teacher Training Agency incorporating into (a) initial teacher training courses and (b) continuing professional development programmes training on education outside the classroom.

Jacqui Smith: The Education Act 2005 provides a new and wider remit for the Teacher Training Agency. From September, as the Training and Development Agency for Schools, it will assume responsibility for the training and development not only of the whole school workforce, but also of teachers who work outside the classroom. The Agency is currently planning how to discharge these new responsibilities and the Secretary of State will receive its advice on this in due course.

Out-of-Classroom Education

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the risk assessment system for school trips.

Jacqui Smith: The Education and Skills Select Committee Inquiry into Education Outside the Classroom found that mishaps on educational visits are rare, with serious problems very unlikely to occur. We believe that this excellent record is the result of good risk management by local education authorities, schools and their staff. Risk management is a statutory requirement that covers staff and pupils on educational premises and offsite on educational visits. "Standards for LEAs in Overseeing Educational Visits" (DfES 2002) sets out the principles of risk assessment, emphasising that schools must strike the right balance, being neither overcautious nor careless.
	We are preparing with our partners a Manifesto for Education Outside the Classroom which will reinforce our advice that local education authorities and schools should complete risk assessments that are proportionate to the level of risk of a particular activity.

Parenting Fund

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what changes she has made to the criteria for obtaining a grant from the Parenting Fund.

Beverley Hughes: The Government have made no changes to the criteria for obtaining a grant from the Parenting Fund. The fund, worth £25 million over 2003–04, 2004–05 and 2005–06, is currently managed by the National Family and Parenting Institute. The Parenting Fund will benefit from an extra £10 million in 2006–07 and £10 million in 2007–08.

Physical Education (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what average number of hours per week of physical education was undertaken in schools in (a) Brent, East and (b) each London borough in the last 12 months.

Jacqui Smith: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the 2004–05 PE, School Sport and Club Links survey, which is currently under way, will provide data relating to the percentage of pupils in school sport partnership schools who spend at least two hours each week on high quality PE and school sport. This data will be broken down by LEA area. The results of the survey will be published in the autumn and a copy will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Private Finance Projects

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the Private Finance Initiative and Public Private Partnership projects her Department is undertaking; and what the status of each is.

Jacqui Smith: The Department for Education and Skills does not itself undertake Private Finance Initiative (PFI) projects. PFI projects for the provision of schools are delivered through contracts between local authorities and private sector contractors. There are currently 89 such projects with signed contracts, of which 50 have operational status. Further details can be accessed at www.teachernet.gov.uk/pfi.
	The Department is itself undertaking one Public Private Partnership (PPP) project in partnership with Capita. This project has operational status and is for the delivery of the Connexions card across England. It is scheduled to continue until December 2008.

Pupil Exclusions

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on her policy on exclusions in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.

Jacqui Smith: Real progress has been made since 1997 in tackling poor behaviour in schools. Permanent exclusions are 25 per cent. lower than in 1997 and Ofsted indicate that pupil behaviour is good in most schools. We have made record investments in behaviour support for schools.
	We have made it clear that we will not tolerate disruptive behaviour in the classroom and we are committed to backing head teachers' authority where pupils' behaviour warrants exclusion.
	We expect all secondary schools to be working together in collaborations by September 2007, with funds devolved from their local authorities, to manage support and provision for pupils at risk of exclusion, persistent truants and excluded pupils. Evidence from schools already working together in this way shows that they are effective in improving behaviour and reducing the need for exclusion.

Pupil Spending

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much her Department spent per pupil in (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) further education in (i) Brent East and (ii) each local education authority in England in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The available information concerning primary and secondary education has been placed in the Library of the House. The Department does not collect information on the level of funding per student in further education at a local or regional level.

Salary Sacrificing Schemes

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to enable teachers to participate in salary sacrificing schemes to secure tax relief on child care vouchers; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: School teachers in England and Wales are not eligible to participate in salary sacrifice schemes. The School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document, which is the statutory framework governing teachers' pay, makes no provision for permitting a reduction in salary in any circumstances. However, any teachers may be paid recruitment and retention incentives and benefits of any value or nature in addition to their salary.

School Administration

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps the Government are taking to reduce the burden of administration in schools.

Jacqui Smith: The Government are determined that schools should undertake only essential administration and that this should be done by the most appropriate staff in the most efficient and effective ways. In particular, we are freeing up teachers' time so that they can concentrate on teaching.
	We are developing a new relationship with schools that will halve the time and effort of inspection while focusing it even more closely on improving teaching and learning. We are working in my Department and with external parties which want data from schools to ensure that only essential data is collected, that it is then by sample wherever possible, and that data is collected once only and used many times.
	We intend to focus a wide range of work concerned with raising standards through a "single conversation" with a dedicated school improvement partner for every school, leading as far as possible to a single school plan. We are consulting on future funding arrangements for schools that will increase local flexibility and simplify accounting.
	We have replaced direct mailings to schools with free on-line ordering, prompted by regular emails setting out what is available. This means schools get only the publications they want, and in just the quantities they need.
	Our efficiency targets will increase productive time in schools and will be achieved to a large extent through the effective use of a variety of information and communications technologies (ICT). That is why we continue to invest substantially in ICT in schools and encourage the new and more effective ways of working that ICT enables.
	Through the national agreement on raising standards and tackling workload we have made contractual changes that from September will give every teacher 10 per cent. timetabled time for planning, preparation and assessment. Earlier provisions of the agreement mean teachers' obligations to cover for absent colleagues are already greatly reduced and support staff have taken over from teachers a wide range of essential administrative tasks.
	Crucially, we have set up the implementation review unit comprising heads and other school leaders currently working in successful schools. This is the first ever body with a remit to challenge the Department on every aspect of school policy. Their role is to hold my Department and its agencies accountable for ensuring that policies are practicable and have maximum impact on the achievements and well being of our children through simple and efficient delivery in the frontline.

School Funding

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the revenue funding per (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupil from her Department to each English local education authority was in 2004–05, broken down by (i) basic amount, (ii) deprivation factor, (iii) funding to reflect higher recruitment and retention costs, (iv) rurality factor and (v) other amounts.

Jacqui Smith: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to him on 11 December 2003, Official Report, column 608W.
	Tables showing the breakdown for 2005–06 are now available on the Department's school funding website http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/schoolfunding/. accessible within the index under the title 'Education Funding Model 2005–06 (final settlement) 27 Jan 2005'.

School Funding

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what the per capita pupil funding in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in (i) Cheshire and (ii) England (A) is in 2005–06 and (B) has been in each of the last eight years; what assessment she has made of the differences between the figures; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  if she will take steps to reduce the difference between the national average per capita pupil funding in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools and that in Cheshire.

Jacqui Smith: The following table shows the per pupil figures for the years in question apart from the 2005–06 financial year for which we do not yet have final figures. Total funding includes funding via education formula spending/standard spending assessment and grants allocated at an LEA level. It excludes the pensions transfer to EFS and the Learning and Skills Council, and is in real terms. It should be noted that the information also relates to education funding provision for children aged 3–10 and 11–15 rather than that which is allocated to an authority's primary and secondary schools through its school funding formula.
	The funding that local authorities receive for schools reflects their relative need compared with other authorities. LEAs have a good deal of freedom to decide how to allocate the available resources for education through their funding formulae and under the Financing of Maintained Schools Regulations, it is for each LEA to decide for itself what balance to strike between the relative funding of primary and secondary schools, after consulting its schools and its Schools Forum.
	
		
			  LEA total England total 
		
		
			 Aged 3–10   
			 1997–98 2,180 2,390 
			 1998–99 2,250 2,470 
			 1999–2000 2,400 2,630 
			 2000–01 2,610 2,860 
			 2001–02 2,750 3,030 
			 2002–03 2,790 3,100 
			 2003–04 2,970 3,290 
			 2004–05 3,070 3,420 
			 Change 890 1,030 
			
			 Aged 11–15   
			 1997–98 2,990 3,260 
			 1998–99 3,040 3,330 
			 1999–00 3,130 3,450 
			 2000–01 3,370 3,740 
			 2001–02 3,500 3,940 
			 2002–03 3,560 4,010 
			 2003–04 3,640 4,080 
			 2004–05 3,840 4,280 
			 Change 850 1,020 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Price Base: Real terms at 2003–04 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 23 March 2005.
	2. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of education SSA/EFS settlements and exclude the pensions transfer to EFS and LSC.
	3. Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES departmental expenditure limits relevant to pupils aged 3–10 and 11–15 and exclude grants not allocated at LEA level.
	4. The pupil numbers used to convert £ million figures to per pupil are those underlying the SSA/EFS settlement calculations plus PLASC 3-year-old maintained pupils and estimated 3 to 4-year-olds funded through state support in maintained and other educational institutions where these are not included in the SSA pupil numbers.
	5. Rounding: Figures are rounded to the nearest £10.
	6. Status: 2003–04 and 2004–05 figures are provisional as some grants have not yet been finalised/audited.
	7. 1997–98 figures for Cheshire, which was subject to local government reorganisation in that year, have been estimated, pro-rata to their post LGR figures.

School Funding

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent per student in secondary schools in England in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is contained within the following table:
	
		Secondary school based expenditure1 per pupil2 
		
			 £ 
		
		
			 1997–98 2,360 
			 1998–99 2,450 
			 1999–2000(32)(35) 2,610 
			 2000–01 2,830 
			 2001–02 3,150 
			 2002–03(32)(34) 3,230 
			 2003–04(33) 3,550 
		
	
	(30) School based expenditure includes only expenditure incurred directly by the schools. This includes the pay of teachers and school-based support staff, school premises costs, books and equipment, and certain other supplies and services, less any capital items funded from recurrent spending and income from sales, fees and charges and rents and rates. This excludes the central cost of support services such as home to school transport, local authority administration and the financing of capital expenditure.
	(31) Pupil numbers include only those pupils attending LEA maintained secondary schools and are drawn from the DfES Annual Schools Census adjusted to be on a financial year basis.
	(32) 1999–2000 saw a change in data source when the data collection moved from the RO1 form collected by the ODPM to the Section 52 form from the DfES. 2002–03 saw a further break in the time series following the introduction of Consistent Financial Reporting (CFR) and the associated restructuring of the outturn tables. The change in sources is shown by the dotted lines.
	(33) The 2002–03 and 2003–04 calculation is broadly similar to the calculation in previous years. However, 2001–02 and earlier years includes all premature retirement compensation (PRC) and Crombie payments, mandatory PRC payments and other indirect employee expenses, while in 2002–03 and 2003–04 only the schools element of these categories is included. In 2001–02 this accounted for approximately 70 per pupil of the England total, while the schools element of these categories accounted for approximately 50 per pupil of the England total in 2002–03. Also, for some LEAs, expenditure that had previously been attributed to the school sectors was reported within the LEA part of the form in 2002–03 and 2003–04 and would therefore be excluded, though this is not quantifiable from existing sources.
	(34) The 1999–2000 figures reflect the return of grant maintained schools to local authority maintenance.
	Note:
	Figures are reported in cash terms and rounded to the nearest 10 as reported by the LEA.

School Management Information Systems

Eric Forth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will publish the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency document, Value for Money Review of School Management Information Systems; and if she will place a copy in the Library.

Jacqui Smith: Becta (the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency) is currently finalising its review of school management information systems and value for money. Becta will submit its recommendations to Ministers in the next few weeks. Once Ministers have considered Becta's advice and decided how to proceed, Becta will publish its findings more widely. A copy of the published report will be placed in the Library.

School Meals

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much Government funding is being allocated to improve school meals; when this funding will become available; how it will be apportioned; what assessment has been made of current contractual arrangements entered into between local education authorities and suppliers of school meals; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 6 June 2005
	On 30 March, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced that schools would receive additional funding to help them transform the quality of school meals. Over the three years 2005–07 to 2007–08, all maintained schools in England will receive a share of the £220 million set aside to help local education authorities and schools strengthen their support for healthy eating and to provide better quality food. Of this, £30 million each year will go to schools to help meet transitional costs involved in developing and improving their "whole school" approach to food. £30/50/50 million will go to LEAs to enable them to support schools with this process, with an emphasis on schools in deprived areas and schools starting from a low base. The first call on this money will be helping to deliver the Government's pledge to ensure that schools provide meals with ingredients costing 50p or more in primary schools, and 60p or more in secondary schools.
	The first instalment of this additional funding will be available to schools and LEAs this autumn. Further details about the distribution of both grants will be announced in due course.
	We are currently considering how best to capture information about school meals provision, including information about patterns of school meals provision in different local education authorities.

School Meals

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress she has made in ensuring that all schools adopt a whole-school approach to their food in school policies.

Jacqui Smith: From later this year, the 'Healthy Schools' programme will include healthy eating as a compulsory element, which schools will need to address to reach the National Healthy Schools' standard. We are aiming for all schools to be working towards 'Healthy School' status by 2009.
	Existing guidance and resources support all aspects of food education within the national curriculum as well as a range of extra-curricular activities aimed at developing healthy eating habits. The guidance encourages schools to adopt a consistent approach to teaching about diet, nutrition, cooking, food hygiene and safety, and to reflect this approach in the provision of food that pupils eat at school.
	The School Food Trust will play a key role in taking forward the Government's programme for improving school food. It will give independent support and advice to schools and parents to improve the standard of school meals and to ensure that the issue of school food remains high on the agenda.
	In the next three years, beginning September 2005, £220 million of new grants will be given directly to schools and local education authorities to raise the quality of school meals. We want schools to use those direct grants to develop a coherent 'whole school' approach to food, covering all other aspects of food provision in school as well as using the curriculum to reinforce healthy eating principles. The money could also be used to fund training and/or longer working hours for school cooks.

School Repairs

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding has been spent on repairing schools in Coventry in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 25 May 2005
	Revenue expenditure figures on the maintenance and improvement of schools are likely to vary from year to year depending on the unique circumstances of a particular LEA. For example, revenue expenditure will increase in years where there have been adverse weather conditions (e.g. repairing storm damage) and is also likely to vary with the number and age of the school buildings within the LEA. Revenue expenditure will also be affected by the amounts of capital expenditure employed at a school. Capital spending in Coventry LEA on school buildings has increased from £6.96 million in 1997–98 to £13.57 million in 2003–04. Figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000.
	The information concerning public funding spent on repairing schools in Coventry is contained within the following table:
	
		Maintenance and improvement of school buildings and grounds in Coventry LEA since 1997
		
			 £ 
		
		
			 1997–98(35)(36) 4,105,000 
			 1998–99(35)(36) 4,057,000 
			   
			 1999–2000(35)(36) 2,783,000 
			 2000–01(35)(36) 3,346,000 
			 2001–02(35)(36) 4,573,000 
			   
			 2002–03(35)(36) 3,374,000 
			 2003–04(35)(36) 3,238,000 
		
	
	(35) Figures for 1997–98 to 2001–02 cover the repair and maintenance of buildings, fixed plant and grounds which includes all expenditure on non-capital building works, including repairs and maintenance of buildings, and non-capital expenditure on fixed plant and grounds. Figures for 2002–03 and 2003–04 are the combination of the revenue expenditure on building (including fixed plant) maintenance and improvement and grounds maintenance and improvement (CFR categories E12 + E13). Any capital expenditure on school buildings is not included in this table.
	(36) Figures for 2002–03 onwards will not be directly comparable with the figures for earlier years as figures for 1997–98 to 2001–02 are for all LEA maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools (pre-primary expenditure accounts for £18,000, £46,000 and £9,000 of the respective totals in 1999–2000, 2000–01 and 2001–02) while nursery figures for 2002–03 and 2003–04 are not available and have therefore been excluded for these two years. Also, for some LEAs, expenditure that had previously been attributed to the school sectors was reported within the LEA part of the form in 2002–03 and 2003–04 and would therefore be excluded from the totals for those years although the precise amount of this is not quantifiable from existing sources.
	Note:
	The empty rows denote the change of source from LEAs' education Revenue Outturn Statements submitted to the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions to Section 52 Outturn Statements in 1999–2000, and to the review of the Section 52 categories in 2002–03 following the introduction of Consistent Financial Reporting (CFR) to schools.

School Repairs

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the requirement for school building repairs in Brent; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The condition assessment data supplied to the Department by Brent in 2003 showed maintenance requirements amounting to £39.1 million, updated to current price levels. In addition to backlog repair work, the figure covers work needed over a five year period from the dates of the assessments, including cyclical and scheduled maintenance.
	Central Government capital support for investment in schools has increased from under £700 million in 1996–97 to £5.5 billion this year and will rise further to £6.3 billion by 2007–08. Progress is being made year-by-year in improving the quality of the school building stock.

Schools (Hammersmith and Fulham)

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children are attending schools in Hammersmith and Fulham in the 2004/05 academic year, broken down by postcode district.

Jacqui Smith: The information has been broken down by local education authority instead of postcode district to comply with the National Statistics code of practice and associated protocols. Every effort has been made to ensure the data does not allow the identification of individual pupils. Any low counts have been suppressed and therefore the sum of LEAs may not equal relevant totals.
	
		
			  Hammersmith and Fulham LEA 
		
		
			 Number of school population resident in Hammersmith and Fulham 9,430 
			 Percentage of school population resident in Hammersmith and Fulham 70.7 
			   
			 Number of school population not resident in Hammersmith and Fulham 3,903 
			 Percentage of school population not resident in Hammersmith and Fulham 29.3 
		
	
	
		Number of pupils attending schools in Hammersmith and Fulham by LEA of residency
		
			 LEA no. LEA name Primary Secondary Special Total 
		
		
			 202 Camden (37)— 62 (37)— 65 
			 203 Greenwich (37)— (37)— — 6 
			 204 Hackney 5 14 — 19 
			 205 Hammersmith and Fulham 6,505 2,786 139 9430 
			 206 Islington (37)— (37)— (37)— 44 
			 207 Kensington and Chelsea 120 745 30 895 
			 208 Lambeth 9 97 9 115 
			 209 Lewisham (37)— (37)— — 22 
			 210 Southwark (37)— 40 (37)— 43 
			 211 Tower Hamlets (37)— (37)— — 19 
			 212 Wandsworth 30 477 9 516 
			 213 City of Westminster 6 250 14 270 
			 301 Barking and Dagenham (37)— (37)— — (37)— 
			 302 Barnet (37)— (37)— — 16 
			 304 Brent 146 249 7 402 
			 305 Bromley — 34 — 34 
			 306 Croydon (37)— 28 (37)— 32 
			 307 Ealing 240 296 11 547 
			 308 Enfield — 6 — 6 
			 309 Haringey (37)— (37)— — 27 
			 310 Harrow 7 59 — 66 
			 311 Havering — (37)— — (37)— 
			 312 Hillingdon (37)— 51 (37)— 65 
			 313 Hounslow (37)— 116 (37)— 211 
			 314 Kingston upon Thames (37)— 41 (37)— 48 
			 315 Merton 4 99 3 106 
			 316 Newham — 14 — 14 
			 318 Richmond upon Thames 12 118 5 135 
			 319 Sutton 6 19 — 25 
			 320 Waltham Forest — 6 — 6 
			 821 Luton (37)— (37)— — (37)— 
			 919 Hertfordshire — 3 — 3 
			 935 Surrey — (37)— — (37)— 
			 936 West Sussex (37)— (37)— — 19 
			  Resident LEA Unknown 63 51 6 120 
			 Total  7,282 5,810 241 13,333 
		
	
	Note:
	Includes pupils aged 5 to 15 years
	'(37) —' denotes Suppressed values
	Source:
	PLASC 2005 provisional

Specialised Diplomas

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what employment areas will be covered by the specialised diplomas for young people; and when she expects diplomas in each employment area will be available throughout England.

Jacqui Smith: I have asked the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to provide by 8 July advice on the delineation of lines for specialised diplomas, which should cover all the main occupational sectors of the economy. I am committed to making rapid progress and, as set out in the White Paper "14–19 Education and Skills", I expect to have the first four lines available nationwide by 2008 and all the lines available nationally by 2015. My officials will be working with the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to set the earliest possible timetable for full implementation which does not compromise the stability of the delivery system or place an unmanageable burden on institutions.

Student Grants

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what information her Department has distributed to secondary school pupils on the restoration of student grants.

Bill Rammell: A key part of our communications campaign has been to get information into schools (including secondary schools) and sixth form colleges either directly or via student advisers and key influencers, who our research tells us are the prime sources of information for students and their parents.
	This has been undertaken via a number of different channels. For instance, we have provided advisers packs—including a CD ROM, briefing notes and other material—to every school or college student advisor, as well as sending customised information to all UCAS co-ordinators.
	We aim to continue with this approach.

Teaching Numbers (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) full-time teachers, (b) part-time teachers and (c) teaching assistants there were in (i) each London borough and (ii) Brent East in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The following tables provide the information requested for January of each year from 1997 to 2004, the latest information available at LEA and constituency level.
	
		Full-time teachers
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 City of London 20 20 10 10 20 10 20 10 
			 Camden 1,350 1,320 1,280 1,190 1,240 1,400 1,300 1,260 
			 Greenwich 1,820 1,760 1,790 1,810 1,820 1,870 1,900 1,950 
			 Hackney 1,350 1,370 1,380 1,400 1,370 1,350 1,470 1,400 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 870 850 850 890 910 930 970 1,020 
			 Islington 1,270 1,240 1,210 1,220 1,180 1,310 1,250 1,310 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 600 580 600 580 600 610 640 620 
			 Lambeth 1,500 1,490 1,440 1,400 1,420 1,510 1,470 1,510 
			 Lewisham 1,640 1,640 1,590 1,640 1,730 1,800 1,780 1,740 
			 Southwark 1.600 1,670 1,680 1,710 1,810 1,900 1.940 1,900 
			 Tower Hamlets 2,090 2,000 2,090 1,990 1,980 2,010 2,070 2,060 
			 Wandsworth 1,490 1,490 1,510 1,500 1,530 1,570 1,550 1,570 
			 Westminster 1,030 1,050 1,060 1,090 1,140 1,160 1,160 1,160 
			 Barking and Dagenham 1,380 1,350 1,390 1,400 1,420 1,460 1,510 1,610 
			 Barnet 2,440 2,420 2,390 2,360 2,360 2,480 2,490 2,450 
			 Bexley 1,740 1,750 1,790 1,790 1,870 1,980 1,920 1,940 
			 Brent 2,030 2,030 2,000 1,960 1,940 2,000 2,170 2,190 
			 Bromley 2,070 2,100 2,120 2,150 2,270 2,350 2,290 2,320 
			 Croydon 2,310 2,320 2,310 2,470 2,460 2,530 2,640 2,610 
			 Ealing 2,060 2,010 2,070 2,080 2,050 2,130 2,060 2,120 
			 Enfield 2,320 2,400 2,430 2,430 2,480 2,430 2,540 2,590 
			 Haringey 1,720 1,700 1,720 1,720 1,730 1,740 1,750 1,740 
			 Harrow 1,420 1,350 1,330 1,190 1,310 1,310 1,340 1,350 
			 Havering 1,720 1,700 1,730 1,720 1,760 1,840 1,870 1,870 
			 Hillingdon 1,850 1,870 1,880 1,980 2,010 2,060 2,060 2,160 
			 Hounslow 1,850 1,780 1,810 1,780 1,860 1,830 1,840 1,940 
			 Kingston upon Thames 940 940 930 930 950 960 1,050 1,010 
			 Merton 1,090 1,050 1,080 1,030 1,090 1,100 1,120 1,070 
			 Newham 2,120 2,130 2,220 2,270 2,320 2,420 2,460 2,670 
			 Redbridge 1,930 1,950 2,010 2,020 2,170 2,190 2,240 2,280 
			 Richmond upon Thames 910 910 900 860 860 880 940 890 
			 Sutton 1,250 1,300 1,310 1,330 1,380 1,420 1,540 1,500 
			 Waltham Forest 1,870 1,900 1,920 1,910 1,800 1,910 1,760 1,930 
			  
			 London 51,620 51,420 51,810 51,800 52,810 54,440 55,080 55,750 
			 Brent East 490 500 500 500 510 530 520 530 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	Annual survey of teachers in service and teacher vacancies, LEA level data.
	Annual School Census, Brent East data.
	
		Full-time equivalent number of part-time teacher.
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 City of London (38)— (38)— (38)— (38)— 10 (38)— (38)— (38)— 
			 Camden 150 160 160 150 200 160 150 160 
			 Greenwich 250 250 230 230 210 210 240 240 
			 Hackney 100 120 150 110 110 120 140 140 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 60 70 80 110 100 80 90 110 
			 Islington 160 170 120 130 120 150 130 140 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 90 80 80 60 60 60 80 70 
			 Lambeth 210 210 220 220 160 160 160 160 
			 Lewisham 230 230 220 240 250 270 270 270 
			 Southwark 150 130 170 140 160 170 150 130 
			 Tower Hamlets 180 160 220 260 200 210 240 230 
			 Wandsworth 190 190 200 190 200 200 200 200 
			 Westminster 110 110 100 100 120 140 150 130 
			 Barking and Dagenham 70 70 60 70 60 60 70 70 
			 Barnet 340 310 340 350 390 340 360 350 
			 Bexley 130 120 150 130 160 180 160 170 
			 Brent 140 170 170 150 170 160 200 160 
			 Bromley 200 230 230 180 270 290 300 300 
			 Croydon 310 320 280 410 360 330 230 280 
			 Ealing 170 220 180 170 170 190 250 190 
			 Enfield 230 210 220 310 190 230 280 300 
			 Haringey 150 130 140 130 120 150 150 170 
			 Harrow 170 150 170 200 180 190 210 210 
			 Havering 150 170 170 170 190 200 190 220 
			 Hillingdon 150 170 150 150 170 170 170 200 
			 Hounslow 160 170 160 160 160 180 170 170 
			 Kingston upon Thames 110 110 120 120 120 110 120 140 
			 Merton 120 120 110 120 120 120 130 120 
			 Newham 70 70 70 80 100 100 110 120 
			 Redbridge 170 180 170 180 210 190 230 230 
			 Richmond upon Thames 160 160 170 170 180 210 150 160 
			 Sutton 140 120 140 150 150 160 170 200 
			 Waltham Forest 140 180 170 150 140 110 180 150 
			  
			 London 5,160 5,260 5,320 5,500 5,480 5,610 5,840 5,850 
			 Brent East 30 40 50 60 60 50 50 50 
		
	
	Note:
	1 Nil or less than 5.
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	Annual survey of teachers in service and teacher vacancies, LEA level data.
	Annual School Census, Brent East data.
	
		Full-time equivalent number of full and part-time teaching assistant.
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 City of London (38)— (38)— (38)— (38)— (38)— (38)— 10 10 
			 Camden 200 240 250 300 360 440 470 550 
			 Greenwich 360 400 430 510 650 650 730 750 
			 Hackney 210 250 290 380 420 490 530 610 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 190 200 210 250 240 260 300 360 
			 Islington 250 250 270 350 360 350 480 520 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 130 140 140 170 210 220 260 270 
			 Lambeth 300 350 390 500 560 580 640 720 
			 Lewisham 280 290 320 410 570 470 560 620 
			 Southwark 350 420 430 650 810 750 710 900 
			 Tower Hamlets 370 400 450 510 800 970 950 1,070 
			 Wandsworth 330 370 370 460 470 380 530 590 
			 Westminster 150 170 160 190 190 310 280 330 
			 Barking and Dagenham 300 290 310 320 400 500 510 560 
			 Barnet 290 340 400 480 550 740 720 850 
			 Bexley 200 230 280 310 380 320 560 550 
			 Brent 260 300 360 390 440 450 470 560 
			 Bromley 210 230 230 270 360 440 500 540 
			 Croydon 400 410 510 530 660 630 870 950 
			 Ealing 340 360 370 400 510 450 530 630 
			 Enfield 250 290 290 500 590 810 880 970 
			 Haringey 350 360 380 420 490 650 680 810 
			 Harrow 270 270 290 300 300 330 430 480 
			 Havering 170 170 200 260 300 310 520 590 
			 Hillingdon 300 340 380 420 510 520 590 670 
			 Hounslow 280 280 290 330 380 400 400 550 
			 Kingston upon Thames 130 130 150 170 220 220 250 310 
			 Merton 190 200 220 240 290 250 300 370 
			 Newham 280 280 390 500 960 720 1,070 1,190 
			 Redbridge 190 230 270 370 450 580 620 730 
			 Richmond upon Thames 100 110 110 130 160 210 220 250 
			 Button 160 170 210 230 260 340 310 370 
			 Waltham Forest 380 400 410 470 490 610 640 670 
			  
			 London 8,160 8,870 9,790 11,740 14,330 15,340 17,510 19,880 
			 Brent East 80 100 120 130 150 170 160 210 
		
	
	Note:
	1 Nil or less than 5.
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	Annual School census

Teenage Conception Rates

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the conception rate per 1,000 women (a) aged under 18 and (b) aged 16 to 18 has been in each year since 1997 in (i) England and (ii) Wales; what targets she has attached to teenage conception rates; and if she will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: Conception rates for under-16s, and 16 and 17-year-olds in England and Wales—provided by the Office for National Statistics—are included in the following table.
	The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the Department of Health (DH) have joint responsibility for the Public Service Agreement (PSA) target to reduce under-18 conceptions by 50 per cent. by 2010 (from the 1998 baseline figure), as part of a broader strategy to improve sexual health. Data for 2003 shows a 9.8 per cent. reduction in under-18 conception rates since 1998.
	
		Teenage conceptions: numbers and rates for England and Wales,1997–2003(38)
		
			  Age under 16 Age 16,17 Age under 18 
			 England Number Rate Number Rate Number Rate 
		
		
			 1997 7,707 8.8 32,756 54.9 40,463 45.5 
			 1998 7,855 8.8 33,234 56.4 41,089 46.6 
			 1999 7,408 8.2 31,839 54.5 39,247 44.8 
			 2000 7,619 8.3 31,080 53.3 38,699 43.6 
			 2001 7,407 8.0 31,054 51.7 38,461 42.5 
			 2002 7,395 7.9 31,955 52.1 39,350 42.6 
			 2003(38) 7,607 8.0 31,964 51.4 39,571 42.1 
			
			 Wales   
			 1997 564 10.4 2,331 62.7 2,895 52.2 
			 1998 597 10.8 2,433 66.0 3,030 55.0 
			 1999 537 9.6 2,244 61.6 2,781 51.1 
			 2000 495 8.8 2,154 59.4 2,649 48.0 
			 2001 496 8.7 2,033 54.9 2,529 45.5 
			 2002 480 8.3 2,121 56.4 2,601 45.9 
			 2003(38) 469 8.2 2,143 56.9 2,612 45.7 
		
	
	(38) Conceptions for 2003 are provisional

Tuition Fees

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total amount of adult education fees waived by further education colleges in 2004 was.

Bill Rammell: FE providers in England are assumed to collect £260 million in fee income from learners and their employers (based on 2003/04 data). We estimate that colleges currently waive over £100 million of this at their own discretion.

University Student Secondment

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will establish a system to introduce low income students to employers who in return for a year's secondment will pay their university fees; and if she will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: There are no plans to introduce this type of system.
	From September 2006 we will have in place a revised package of student financial support, which includes for new students, the introduction of a new maintenance grant of £2,700 for those students from low income households. Those in receipt of the full £2,700 maintenance grant and who are paying £3,000 for their tuition fees will be entitled to a minimum non-repayable bursary of £300.00 from their higher education institution, although many institutions will be offering much more. From 2006 students will be able to defer payment of their fees by taking out a non-means tested fee loan, which they will only start repaying once they have finished their studies and are earning over £15,000 per annum.
	There are a number of initiatives aimed at stimulating closer links between employers and higher education institutions, including the new Sector Skills Agreements being developed by Sector Skills Councils. They provide an opportunity to look at ways that students can acquire higher level skills, including those from low income households. Other initiatives, including Aimhigher and the expansion of Foundation Degrees, are aimed at raising aspirations and attainments and providing new work based higher education opportunities developed with employers. We have also supported projects that promote and deliver paid secondments, work placements and work experience opportunities for higher education students.
	We believe that these measures will assist students from lower income households.

Workload Agreement

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the representations received in the last three months from (a) schools and (b) local education authorities on implementation of the workload agreement.

Jacqui Smith: We receive representations from time to time on a variety of issues, including on implementation of the national agreement "Raising Standards and Tackling Workload". Where schools and LEAs need advice or guidance on implementation of the agreement they should speak in the first instance to the National Remodelling Team and its network of advisors based in LEAs throughout the country.